Her Favorite Student
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: Protecting the future queen of Hyrule and training its future knights were Impa's job, and one she took pride in. Unfortunately for her, in the process of the latter she finds herself trending down a path she never thought possible. She owed it all to him, the one person who made her feel like more than a warrior. She couldn't say she hated him for it, he was her favorite.
1. Chapter 1-Where Home Is

**Greetings, everyone. This is going to be my second on-going LoZ story and it's pretty unexpected. As with my last Link/Impa story, this one is being done on request and will be my first attempt at writing an ecchi love story, and with Impa, perhaps the straightest arrow in the entire Legend of Zelda cast. Then again, even straight arrows can bend and there's certainly going to be a lot of that in this story. So, expect lots of attempts at ecchi-laced humor and romantic tension as this story's set up is going to be teacher-student, younger man and older woman. Personally, I blame Persona 5 for getting me into the fetish, but I'm on it and I'm not looking back! **

**For setting, I'll put this out there, this story follows a timeline similar to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, specifically the events of both will be references so you can say this story's set in the Child Timeline or one close enough to it. Now, without further adeu, onto the story!**

* * *

_**Chapter 1-Where Home is**_

* * *

"Ah, Link! Welcome back! Ya' got some mail!"

The young Hylian blinked in surprise causing the inn-keeper to laugh in amusement. While a very skilled and capable warrior, the pointy-eared adventurer was still a child. In fact, he was practically no older than twelve years old. Yet, he seemed to possess a near worldly wisdom that quite a few people would have killed for. There were times that Remy wished he could have such foresight and wisdom, it certainly would have came in handy at the right times. He could have spent the whole evening going over the number of times he'd gotten himself into a number of scraps and such that could have used a wise mind and wise mouth to get him out of.

"Did it come from Hyrule?" Was the first thing the young swordsman blurted out.

With a laugh, the one-eyed inn-keeper reached below his desk and held out a set of envelops. "Probably, it's got that, whatta ya' in Hyrule call it? The Triforce? It's got that seal on it, ain't it the seal of your homeland?"

"It is, which probably means that something's happened." He absent mindedly responded.

"Or, ya' know, someone just wants ya' back. It's been a while, so why not give going back home a shot? Ya' know, see some of yer old friends and such?" Pressed the redhead giving the young warrior a thoughtful stare.

He wanted to say that he didn't have any friends in Hyrule, the only friends he did have…no longer had any memory of him. That was one excuse he told himself, just one of many that he fell back on time after time in order to keep from returning to the land of his birth. The land that he'd journeyed through time to save. At the end of the day though, he knew deep down he was simply running away. He was running because he didn't want to go back home and face the future, which had become a massive, blank slate he still had little to no idea how to paint. Seeing how others were making due would have terrified him. How would he measure up, what would be the worth of his so-called accomplishments in the last two years since he'd left Hyrule? The potential answer always seemed to terrify him in spite of having already confronted most of his own inner demons.

It wasn't like he wouldn't have stories to tell. One could argue that his "home" told quite an expressive tell itself. In reality, his home was more an apartment, a rather decently-sized and stocked one. Such a thing would have likely come as a complete surprise, after all, what use did an eleven-year-old boy have in such an expansive and decked out home? More so, what need did he have for all the weapons, armor and so forth? Doubtlessly, that's one thing that would have caught the attention of visitors, the massive number of weapons collected and on display in several "storage rooms" that Link himself had planned out himself. While he didn't consider himself a master decorating, he was admittedly proud of what he'd accomplished since his time in coming to the quiet inn.

Entering his study, he became acutely aware of his heart drumming inside of his chest. Nowadays, battle was the only thing that got his heart really racing. Again, another unusual trait that set Link apart from other kids of his age. That said, he knew not every child was different him. In far off lands where wars raged with great intensity children as young as himself and younger had been sent to the battlefield and forced to kill. As he sat atop the small bed he always came home to, he briefly wondered if such a conflict had found its way to Hyrule while he was away. If so, then he was wasting time with all the worrying.

_Dearest Link,_

_If you're getting this message, then I truly hope it is in good health. It is I, Sara, hopefully you still remember me from your time in Kokiri Forest. Sometimes it feels like another lifetime since you left. I do not known how you have changed since you left Hyrule, but I truly hope it's enough you're willing to spare some time with an old friend. Or rather…you're…willing to learn of your own origins. _

_For as long as you can remember Kokiri Forest and we, the Kokiri have been your family. I write to tell you…your birth family has revealed itself. You have an uncle here in Hyrule, his name is Cedar, Cedar Axely. I've spoken with him and…he seems a kind man, or that's what I believe. He wants to meet you, the son of his older brother, the child he lost track of twelve years before. Recently, he moved to Castle Town to set up his bar and…well…one thing led to another and he learned of your existence, no, your survival. Link, I cannot order you to return, but I can ask you as your friend. Please, come home, come back home to the place that needs you. _

_Sincerely, Saria _

He'd recognized the handwriting right off the bat. Everything he'd been preparing himself for, everything he'd been bracing himself for. All of it dissolved leaving the young blond floating in a white sea without direction. To say the letter's contents had been a shock would have been an understatement. Though his mouth hung open, no air was flowing into his lungs nor was the blood in his veins pumping as it should have been. He was completely and utterly frozen stiff like a statue. Battle was the only time he'd ever felt like this, and even then, those times were few and far between. He'd faced so much in his…somewhat extended life that Link doubted hell opening open would scare him. After all, he had fought the so-called King of Evil, defeated him, then gone on to defeat an absolutely deranged demonic mask that could control people like puppets and had attempted to bring down the moon.

All that, and yet he could feel himself slowly but surely beginning to shake in fear.

Now, more than ever he wished that Navi was with him. Or Tatl, anyone really. A tightness clawed at his chest, near squeezing his lung. In spite of all that, his hand held fast to the letter in his hands. Such a thin and easily torn sheet of paper had rocked his entire world. In a way, it fit into a trend in Link's life, one he'd yet to break.

Never was it a blade, claw, or magic spell, it was always something else that knocked him off his feet. Things that he couldn't defend against with a shield or parry with a sword.

As he'd so painfully learned, it was called life. Life was the ultimate surprise attacker, it struck without warning and carried on as its victim was left gasping for breath by the wayside. Sometimes the victim recovered, other times they didn't. Link believed himself to be in the former category. He'd been hit a number of times by life's "sucker punches", and this was the latest one.

Yet, this one seemed more powerful, more impactful than the others. Arguably on the same level as his passage through time and Navi's sudden and still lingering departure.

The answer as for why manifested in an instant. It was because this was personal.

He rose and departed for the hallway, his breath sucking in air at breakneck paces. The way his heart drummed in his chest could have had one believe that an assassin had snuck their way into his home. Link wouldn't have minded for something like that to happen. Alas, he knew that something like that wasn't in the cards.

Far and wide, the usage of the sword was seen as a man's right of passage. Link and the sword were old friends; matter of fact, he would go as far as to say the sword was the only friend he had left. It was a sobering thought, one that only struck him almost a year after his adventure in Termina. Somehow, he'd made peace with the thought remarkably well, accepting such a thing was likely his fate as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage and the Hero of Time.

But then, this came along. His right hand ran along the smooth surface of the blade while his left continued to clench at the letter. "If you either of you were here…would you tell me to go back to Hyrule and start over? Meet my uncle and get to know likely the only real family that I have left?"

Time was precious, he knew that better than a vast majority of people. It had been a painful lesson, but one that he deeply cherished. He also knew that when it came to loved ones…well, he'd seen the cherishment others held for their loved ones, some of them had needed his help to realize such things. Link had secretly envied them, wondering if he could ever find something similar. Somehow, the goddesses had heard his unspoken wish and had apparently answered him. The only question was if he'd take the leap.

Hundreds of times he'd stood in the exact same place. Link had made his choice in Kokiri Forest, when he ventured into the darkness of the forest and confronted the one-eyed monstrosity that had infested the Great Deku Tree. Looking back on it, that's likely when it became clear that "backing down" or "giving up" was no longer an option for him. That door was perhaps forever closed off for him. Sometimes it was frightening how at pace he was with such thoughts. Other times he liked to think they meant that he'd gotten to understand himself a bit better.

He was Link, apparently Link Axely, and running away from a potential challenge was not in his makeup. At all.

Come what may, he'd face this mysterious familial connection, and with it, perhaps the lingering hole in his heart.

But first, he had some packing to do. Quite a bit of packing.

"Really hope Uncle Cedar doesn't have anything against lots of weaponry." Muttered the fourteen-year-old. At the very least this also met he'd have a chance to use all the money he'd saved up during his adventures.

* * *

_**Six Days Late, Castle Town, Hyrule…**_

"You…you look just like your father, Goddesses bless him. The look in your eyes…it's the same."

His nerves turned to wrinkled leaves hearing that statement, perhaps because it was his first time directly hearing anything about his parents, his father specifically. Speaking of his father, he was trying to use the man that stood before him as a model. They were siblings after all so they must have had some facial comparisons.

In a lot of ways, Cedar looked like Link, albeit their hair colors were as different as night and day. The youth's hair was bright gold like fine hay while his supposed uncle's was deep chocolate brown. It lined up quite well with his eyes, caramel-colored and twinkling with awe, and tears. Sideburns stretched from the sides of his face down to his chin into a nice little goatee. Based on what I'd learned of people and their preferences, his uncle might have been called handsome save for one thing-the long, jagged scar that ran across his face. Stretching from the mid of his right cheek across the bridge of his nose almost all the way to his ear was a stripe of faded flesh.

He stared at the scar too long. His uncle laughed as he moved his fingers to the old injury, "Caught your attention, hasn't it? Funny, you father was the one who decided to enter into military service yet he never once got a scar on his face. I, on the other hand, went down a more safer path in wine-brewing and so forth."

"Dealing with wine, I'd say that can be a pretty dangerous occupation too." Spoke the young Hylian. A small smile blossomed along his face seeing the kinder side of his uncle emerge. It made him feel a bit more comfortable. Comfortable enough to begin opening up. "I take it there was a drunk involved?"

"Several." Cedar laughed. His eyes cackled as the memory of the old injury returned to the forefront of his mind. "Let me tell ya, hat was one night that I seriously wish I'd closed up early. Then again, it might not have helped much since those bastards would have just followed me home and razed it to the ground instead of my original bar. If you want, I'll tell you the story one day. Maybe we can exchange stories, something tells me you've got quite a few to tell."

A spirited laugh slipped from the blonde's lips. "You're right about that, though I highly doubt you'd believe some of them. They're…well, they're pretty incredible. I would, um…Uncle Cedar, could I…"

Time repeated itself. When he leaped through time to become an adult, he'd retained the mindset of his younger self-a shy and somewhat sheltered youth who'd never been outside of the forest. It made interacting with others as an adult extremely difficult and even embarrassing. In time, he'd gotten better so that by the time he got to Termina he could somewhat casually interact with people. The problem was, at certain times, that skill in interacting flew out the window, often when he needed it the most. From time to time, those he spoke with realized that and took up the slack for him. His uncle was no different.

"You…you're really thinking about sticking around this ole' place?" He asked with genuine surprise in his voice.

"You just bought it little over two weeks ago." Link immediately responded. "That said…it could use some fixing up. I think I can give it a try, see how good I am at something that doesn't involve a sword."

Cedar laughed, his voice resounding through the empty bar. On one hand, it was in better condition than one would have expected, on the other hand, cobwebs laced every corner of the soon-to-be bar. It had after all been empty for going on two years with no one, not even bandits taking up in it. That said, the place hadn't come at a cheap price. Cedar had been looking for a place to set up and shop and this little beauty nestled near the heart of Castle Town had been the perfect place. Naturally, it'd cost him a pretty rupee, near bankrupting him in the process to be honest. Still, he was happy with his decision, especially since it brought him close to the last living family member he had left. Succeed or fail, this meeting alone was worth it all.

By week's end he'd have his first shipment of drinks and food so he could open up for business starting next week. Provided he could get the place fixed up in that amount of time. It seemed he was staring down his first potential worker. "I can't promise you much pay until we get the ball rolling." He warned crossing his arms.

The younger Hylian chuckled. "That's fine. I've worked for free quite a lot, besides, it could count as my way of paying rent for my stay."

The older man threw back his head in hearty laughter. "Lucky for you, I've got a bit of a rule-never charge when it comes to family. At least until they exceed five drinks. Er, speaking of which, Link, I have to ask, have you ever had alcohol before?"

Now, Link had an idea of what it felt like to be interrogated by a parent regarding "adult activities". Something in the blond told him that his uncle really wouldn't be upset if he whole-heartedly answered yes, but then that wouldn't have exactly been a whole truth. While he'd certainly drunken things _close _to alcohol, he'd never had himself a real drink like what his uncle was asking. Honesty was the best route to go. "No, not really. I have seen its effects though. Not really pretty sometimes."

A heavy sigh left Cedar's lips. Link read the sudden downcast expression on his uncle's face and realized there was a story he was debating telling hm. In his travels, he'd heard tell of how the bottle could drive a wedge between people, turn decent or good-hearted people cruel to the point they might as well transform into a completely different person. Briefly, Link wondered if such a fate had befallen his uncle, or worse, his father. The fear and unease manifested on his face as cold fear suddenly swept through him. This wasn't the type of dread that one associated with combat for that was external. What the Hylian was feeling now as the internal unease that could stay one's hand and cause them to reevaluate everything they'd thought they'd known.

A part of him wanted to ask the question that was building on his lips, but Link didn't want to ruin the moment. Evidently, neither did Cedar as he quickly looked away after a single glance at Link's crumbling face. Clearly the tale wasn't one that he wanted to share with his nephew, not yet at least. Perhaps one day when they were older, when Link himself had settled back into life in Hyrule.

For now, they had more lighter subjects to tend to.

Standing up, he walked over to the bar counter, his right hand running along the dusty-layered wood. "Actually, fixing this up is probably going to take a week and a half if I'm being honest."

Link hopped out of his seat and joined his uncle. "I think I can cut it down to a week. I may be kind of small, but I can do some good work on my own."

The scar-faced man looked to the younger boy for a moment. He was facing him, his blue eyes ablaze as if they were torches. For Cedar, it was almost like staring into a window into the past, a pleasant past that he so eagerly wished he could return to. Slowly but certainly, a chuckle rose in his throat. It fell out of his mouth as a hearty laugh while he reached out and softly patted the head of the confused Hylian. At the very least he wasn't swatting his hand away like he feared he would. "You…look and sound so much like your father." Finally admitted the older man. His smile was one of longing. "Link, you…he'd be proud of you, even if you haven't quite come of age yet."

Hearing that, Link cracked a smile. "I've swung around swords over twice my size before. Can't that be seen as a right of passage from childhood to adulthood?"

"In warrior societies, yes; however, Link, I believe it's time you stopped living like a warrior. Perhaps it's time you started living like a normal boy, you've certainly earned that right." Said the brown-haired man with a gentle smile while removing his hand.

The blond Hylian looked down. "Um, yeah, about that, I…um…I'm not sure I know how to do that."

"Then you can learn." Cedar explained. He could see the uncertainty in his nephew's eyes. Unlike his father, the man Cedar had called his brother, he made little effort to hide it. In that way, he was very much like his mother. "Life's all about learning, Link. The more you live, the more you learn. Now's the time for you to start learning how to just live your life."

Again, it felt like some sort of weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Al…alright, Uncle Cedar. Can we start by fixing this place up?"

"Sure thing." Laughed the brown-haired man. "You told me you're pretty skilled with matters other than a sword, let me see some of 'em."

* * *

_**Five Years Later…**_

"Gentlemen, if you don't quite down, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

While the laughter and festivities around them continued, the six men at the table came to a complete and total stop as they looked at the person who'd dare to interrupt their fun. He stood at a modest five-foot nine, fairly reasonable for his age. Tied around his waist was an apron with the green logo of the bar with his tunic sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Wrapped around his hand was a dark-green bandanna with wind designs. It stood out in sharp contrast to his golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes, which peered at the lot of them in the same way a wolf sized up its prey before pouncing.

Needless to say, they didn't really like it.

"Hey! Who the hell do ya' think you are, you little shit?!" Barked the redhead with a beard and ponytail. Speaking of red, a thin red strip ran across his face showing that the ale he'd been scuffing down was beginning to work its effects. "We're here havin' a damn good time and ya' can't say shit about it!"

"I don't have a problem with that." Link replied in a cool tone while crossing his arms. The six men continued to glare at him as he merely turned his nose at the lot of them, his voice never rising though perfectly audible amidst the cacophony of the booming bar. "What I do have a problem with is you harassing the barmaids and bartenders."

The bald-headed one grunted in annoyance. "You lot should be happy we stopped by this place and decided to give you all some business. Besides, we're just palling around. No problem with that, is there?"

An eyebrow rose. "There is when it involves groping and attempts at kissing and discussing how you'll pull some of them into a back alley and have your way with them. That type of palling around, sorry, but not in here. You want some ladies to spend the night with, I can point you all to some brothels in town. Some of them real cheap just for you."

Veins appeared on two of them, a brown-haired man and another with dirty blond hair a shade darker than Link's own. Clearly, their minds were muddled by the alcohol they'd ingested as they broke from their seats and made a run at Link. Their movements were so incredibly clumsy that Link couldn't believe they were mercenaries. Then again, he'd seen some _really _sorry excuses come through the doors of the bar claiming to be top-notched fighters. He caught their fists with minimal effort, their faces displaying shock as they realized their foolhardy assault had been stopped cold. Link easily slid his hands from their knuckles to their wrists.

His actions unfortunately drew attention from onlookers. Practically everyone now had something to point and laugh at. That included his fellow bartenders and the bar maids. He could hear all of their snickering, and cheering.

"You little bastard! Who the hell do you think ya' are, ya runt!" Screeched the third member of the group bolting across the table and coming at Link with a wild haymaker.

_**THUMP! **_

"Aaaarggghhh!"

Two of the six were nursing twisted wrists, and the third now had a sore arm. Link wondered if he was right handed, if he was, it was going to be a while before he could do any kind of fighting.

The pony-tailed redhead was looking at him, though not in anger at having taken down two of his men. No, he was now interested. "Not bad, that blow right now, you've seen combat, haven't you, kid?"

He gave his customary shrug. "I've had some experience." Seeing what came next, he stepped back and bowed. "Sorry, but for the moment I'm rather content with my place here. I…don't really have any plans on changing that up."

Rather than get angry or annoyed, the man seemed amused. Link could take that reaction; it was better than some of the others he'd gotten over the years. "I see, well, here, consider looking us up if you ever change your mind." Whoever he was, he possessed some skill as all Link saw was a flick of his wrist. The Hylian held up his hand and caught the flying paper card. Had he been a bit slower, Link knew it would have impaled itself in his throat. Sage green eyes cackled in amusement in seeing his near emotionless response. "Thank you for the service, if it's alright with you. We'll be on our way, but we'd like to come back."

Tucking the card away, the blond put a hand to his hip and gave the mercenary a self-assured smile. "So long as you make sure your boys are on their best behavior, feel free to come again."

Pony-tail collected his companies, including the three injured men. Each and every one of them shot Link a venomous glare as they descended down the stairs and left the bar. In turn, Link gave them a false smile and waved at them.

"Three cheers for Link the Defender!" Went up a voice to his right. The demand was quickly heeded as cheers and applauses broke out causing the Hylian to blush and scratch his head in amusement.

To his left came a clearer sound of clapping, and giggling. "My hero." Declared the black-haired maiden, her almond-colored eyes sparkling with joy. Upon reaching Link, she leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his neck. It made for the sixth one this week. "You know, you could have taken him up on his offer. He'll be back and probably make it again."

"And I'll probably refuse him. Sayla, you know that I'm pretty happy here where I am. All the noise and rotten smells included." Declared the Hylian leaning against the second-floor railing. "Besides, if I left, who'd be there to help out and keep you all out of trouble."

A fit of laughter seized the woman as she joined him on the railing. She could afford a minute-long break before getting back to work. "Come on, you know we can handle ourselves, besides, you've taught us girls and even the guys a bit about how to handle ourselves. At some point, you're going to have to leave this nest and let us fend for ourselves." A hand rose and fell on his shoulder. With it, Sayla's eyes grew heavy with sadness as she spoke, "Link, you're too good to spend the rest of your life hanging around here. Even your uncle knows that which is why he keeps on pushing you. Speaking of which, it's your turn for break."

"Afraid I'm going to suck up all the attention again?" Replied the blond with a half-smile.

"Sorta, now hurry up and get out of here. Here's hoping those guys don't come back for a while but if they do, we can handle ourselves."

He wanted to stay, but he knew better than to argue with the human woman who'd become the closest thing he had to a sister. Besides, a breath of fresh air didn't sound so bad, not to mention he could use the chance to slip away and clear his head.

As usual, he headed to the town square, a place that was bustling with activity every second of the day. Link enjoyed it, it was a nice contrast to the horrid future that he'd once had to traverse. Seeing the near hundreds of people going about their business was proof that he'd made the right decision, that his actions had had results. It was especially evident when he saw the dozen or so kids racing through the streets.

And it wasn't like the people were blind to him, quite the opposite.

Uncle Cedar had gone above and beyond in fixing him a "rupee bucket" as his friends liked to call it. At first, Link only took it out of kindness for his guardian, but after a while, it became habit. Whenever he went out to play his flute or his ocarina, the bucket went with him. And very rarely did he return either home or to the bar with it empty. In fact, Link truly could scarcely remember a time when his music hadn't netted him at least a single rupee. Then there were days when he needed more than one bucket for all the money he'd gathered.

Naturally, he tried to play it off, but some days his greed got the better of him. His uncle encouraged it, as did hi fellow bar workers. They were the ones he directed most of his earnings toward, only keeping a small amount for himself and his goals.

The sun was out shining high in the sky with only a handful of clouds trudging across the sky in an attempt to block out its radiance. Even then, the blazing hot orb continued to beat down upon Hyrule. Such a beautiful day; Sayla had been right, he had to get at least an hour or so outdoors.

Link was pretty sure he'd been sitting in the sun for more than the fifteen-minutes that was his work break. Uncle Cedar was rather lax though. Again, he could hardly remember a time when his uncle got genuinely upset with him for spending too long away from work. He always looked into his eyes and merely let it go. That was a sign for Link that he'd lucked out in having his last living relative be one that full of understanding. So understand that he was even willing to believe some of the more outlandish adventures he'd had, including the tale of how he traveled through time to save Hyrule from dystopian rule under a power-mad Gerudo warlord. Albeit, that one had taken several days for Cedar to fully accept, and even then he stilled seemed to be trying to wrap his mind around it. That said, it made his accepting of his adventures in Termina easier to swallow.

The far-off land was the subject of his current song. Half a decade, yet the memories of his journey across the supposedly cursed realm remained. They were memories of sorrow, but also memories of joy. Eventually, the joy beat out over the sorrow. He saved the land and lived to see the sunrise on a brand new day. That sunrise had given him hope, it had saved him almost. If not for it, he wouldn't be sitting here, enjoying his life of peace and leisure.

_Tatl, Tael, Skull Kid, and lastly…Navi. _Mentally mused the young man as he hit the last notes of his song. _I'm doing my best; I'm living life like you all told me too. I've got friends, a family, and I've got…well, I've kind of got a goal. Here's hoping I'm a step closer to it._

His song ended, but with its ending came the beginning of something new.

"That was a wonderful piece." Came a sudden voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

Following a quick blink, he looked up and realized he'd gained an audience of one. A tall figure clad in a dark cloak that obscured all of their features. Link felt no hostility from them so he decided to take a chance and let his guard down. "Well, thank you. It's one my favorites as well."

"Might I ask the name?" Based on the voice, Link was leaning towards the stranger being female.

He paused, as if contemplating how much he should give away. "It's called 'The Fourth Day'. It's…it's based on a very special and cherished memory of mine."

"I see," she said moving her hand over to the rupee bucket. "Then I thank you for allowing me to hear it."

Link's mouth opened for a different reason then to respond. It dropped in seeing the literal rain of rupees that fell from her hand into bucket. His heart practically skipped a beat as he saw the dozens of red and blue gemstones slid into the container. From a single glance Link knew that he had enough that if he wanted to he could go down to the armory and buy a silver-grade weapon or the jewelry store and pick even the higher-middle priced items. He'd had good pay before, but this was something entirely new. As he regained himself, he stopped and looked up at the stranger. Something in his gut was tingling.

His eyes caught a brief sight below the hood.

Crimson red.

_N-No way, it can't be. _

"Help!"

His attention was caught by the voice, his head snapping to the side to find the source. From the clothing he recognized her to be a noblewoman, which meant that the person doing his best to shuffle through the now startled crowd was a thief. At least he wasn't wearing a hoodie like the woman before him. He looked ordinary, average hand, a shaved face and dark brown hair. As he looked around, his green eyes caught Link's. In that instant, he knew he'd been caught and did the only thing a person in his position could do-he ran.

Without a second thought, Link gave chase.

Of course, no tried to stop the thief, they just parted ways for him and Link. He looked back at the downed woman, who was at least being helped up from her knees. "I'll get it back!" Shouted the Hylian picking up the pace and quickly catching up to the thief as he entered a nearby alleyway. "Give it up, you're not getting away!"

"Shut your trap!" Shouted the older man, his right arm flashing.

Dodging the dagger was near child's play. As it flew past him he kept on going, his eyes narrowed and focused. Evidently, it was a shock to the thief as he hadn't been expecting his pursuer to be so agile. It cost him as the air was knocked out of his lungs thanks to the straight jab Link drove into his gut. While his arm was pulled back, Link sunk low and swung his right leg out, hitting the man's own thus knocking him down. The stolen wallet clattered out of his hand and rolled off to the side. Like a predator, Link brought his foot down atop the man's chest, further knocking the air out of him and making it harder for him to breath.

The game was over as soon as it had began. "You know, you could have found a better use of your time. Don't worry though, you'll have all quite a bit of it where you're going."

Enraged green eyes looked up into Link's own blue. The teen felt a chill rush up his spine, a familiar feeling that caused him to hastily move his foot back. Just briefly, his eyes caught a dark-violet streak moving across his leg. He fell back, getting his arms up in a fighting stance while the thief rose. Blood was trickling down his left lip.

"You should have just stuck to playing music, kid." He spat.

He was ready to act, but his body decided to drop a surprise on him. His right leg lit up with searing pain that caused him to visibly grimace. Briefly tearing his eyes away from his opponent, he looked down at his leg. The cut had been shallow, but it'd been enough. And the blade he'd been cut with was poisoned. _Dammit it all! I let my guard down! _It'd been weeks, no, months, no, close to a year since he'd been in an actual fight, and he'd been slacking off during his training. This was the cost of that.

The thief flashed him a cruel smile. "Shame you didn't bring your little money bucket. Then again, I'll just loot what I can off of your corpse!" He rushed in, murder gleaming in his eyes.

Link wasn't helpless, not yet at least. In spite of the paralyzing venom running through him, he still had some motion in his body. Seeing the openly frontal charge, he could think of several ways to take the thief down. After making his decision, he decided on one and braced himself.

A shadow rushed past him, fast as lightning but hitting with the force of thunder.

The shadow's punch was stronger than his, and its movements were faster. A hurricane of blows that knocked loose teeth and broke bones. As with the wallet, the Vein Dagger tumbled from his hands onto the ground. One look and it was clear that the pickpocket wasn't going to be getting up without any help.

Speaking help, he owed a thank you to the unknown figure. The words beat on his lips, but died before they can be spoken as the hood came off the figure. Link could feel his heartbeat come to a complete stop, his eyes widening and the paralyzing pain in his legs out and out vanishing. Everything around him, every thought he'd had prior, all of it was dismissed as he stared at the snow-white hair clipped back in a short ponytail. It sharply contrasted, no, highlighted, the beautiful tanned skin. Turning around to face him, air rushed through his parted lips as he stared back at the eyes, as ruby-red as he remembered them to be. As ruby red as he'd always dreamed of them.

"Im…Im…Impa," Whispered the Hylian.

* * *

**That's where I'll stop for a first chapter. Bit of shorter than I would have liked, but I feel like Link's reaction will make for a good cliffhanger. This story is going to be a sorta sequel to OoT and MM with some fill-in-the blank regarding Link's family and other details, something I rather like doing. By this point I think it's pretty clear who and what the main couple is going to be, and the story is going to be how the two halves come together to join into one. **


	2. Chapter 2-Past to Present

**Hehe, sorry for the long wait in updating, everyone. Had some things I had to sort through, but I'm back, and this story well and truly begins here and now! **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2-From the Past to the Present**_

* * *

_Quick as the lightning flashing overhead, she burst from the castle drawbridge, her young charge in her arms and her hands firmly on the reins to her horse. Rain cascaded about, drenching her just as much as everything and everyone else. It caused her already skin-tight clothing to cling to her, bringing out the details in her body. Details that Link had subconsciously engraved into his mind. _

_Only thanks to another bolt of lightning splinting the skies was he able to get a better look at her. One could almost say it was…divine given the set up. Irony was the word given exactly what was happening, a madman taking control of the royal castle and sent the heiress apparent running for her life with her bodyguard as her only protection. Ordinarily, the princess in question would have been the one most people would have paid attention to, but she wasn't. Link's mind was near fully focused on her guardian. She held fast to the horse's reins as the beast pounded against the wet grass. Were it not for the pounding rain, the beast's hooves would have no doubt left a trail to be followed. _

_Naturally, she moved like the wind, which was howling something fierce as befitting the mood. Still, Link took a mental snap shot of her face, hardened into a determined frown matted with rainwater. Her eyes stood out like a pair of crimson beacons staring straight on ahead. He was well aware that she didn't register his presence, only her young charge did so, perhaps because of the fated connection they would share. _

_Dumbfounded, Link continued to watch the white-haired woman, even as his eyes lost sight of her through the nocturnal storm raging around him. Just faintly, he could make out the outline of the horse, speeding further and further away from Hyrule Castle. Away from him. _

_A part of him wanted to call out into the night. What he wanted to say though, was a mystery, and it would remain so for some time later on; even after he'd gained a clearer picture of exactly what had transpired that night. And he'd had his encounter with the soon-to-be King of Evil. Link didn't even know the woman's name at the time, but he would eventually learn it, it was…_

* * *

"Im..pa…Impa…" Stammered the sixteen-year-old-teen in a completely dazed voice that caught the woman's attention.

At first, she looked at him with eyes narrowed in curiosity. Clearly, something was eating at her, and its bite grew stronger the more she focused her mind on the strange blond Hylian. Something about him was making her head buzz making it all the harder to focus. What was even more unusual was the Sheikah woman was usually able to work through such distractions, but this time it seemed to be a tad different. The distraction and her object of fuse were seemingly blending together. "You know my name, that warrants my curiosity as I take great pains to make sure few know it, young man."

And like that, reality slammed back into Link. He was standing outside of the gates of Castle Town alone on a stormy night. And he wasn't a ten-year-old kid come from the forest seeing the outside world for practically the first time. He was in a back alley of Castle Town, and instead of a little kid from the forest he was just shy of sixteen years-old; mentally speaking, he was two decades older than that. The last part crumbled a bit as he realized if he didn't say something soon, he'd make things more complicated than they already were.

"I-I-I've heard it a few times at the tavern I work at! W-We get a lot of knights from the castle, s-s-some of whom know you and I'm sure you know them. T-That's how I picked up your name! Y-You…um, match their descriptions." Not exactly the best defense he could have offered, but it was something and sounded semi-plausible. Hopefully.

The goddesses smiled down on him. "Ah, so in spite of my efforts, chatter still slips through."

Link's mouth ran faster than his brain could catch it. "Well, that's a lost cause. People will always talk, especially if something has caught or rouses their interests. Besides, practically everyone knows of the Sheik, if only by their name. Naturally, everyone knows of you, the clan leader and the bodyguard of Princess Zelda."

Impa crossed her arms. "And…"

It suddenly hit Link that he'd wondered from one pitfall into another, probably exactly what Impa had wanted to happen. _She hasn't changed…or maybe she never did change. _Impa had noticeable had an air of readiness about her that was extremely pronounced during his time in the future, no doubt because of Ganondorf's tyrannical rule over the kingdom. Since such an event had never happened, there was no reason for Impa to be more guarded than she already was. Or at least that's what one would have naturally believed.

Again, the goddess must have taken mercy on him as an unexpected wave of stinging pain rocked his body. Link visibly winced; in no way could it have been faked as his face contorted in pain. The poison from before was now no doubt racing through his system and working its foul business. Mentally, he cursed himself for letting the thief get so much as a single cut on him. He'd handled far worse, and walked away with little more than some ruffled clothes.

Suddenly, he felt a set of warm hands pressing against his leg. His breath catching in his throat, he looked down to find a pair of tan-skinned palms framing the cut on his leg. Red eyes were narrowed in examination of it. "I suppose not much is spoken of Sheik healing arts, usually reserved for members of the royal family. Consider yourself lucky, young man." There was a small bit of laughter at the end of the statement, something that caused Link's pointed ears to burn with heat.

_I already consider myself lucky, just being able to see you again. _Thought his unrestricted mind. Thankfully, he kept that statement to himself; the goddess only knew how things would turn out if he didn't. Plus, he had something else to focus his attention on-the unexpected but not entirely unwelcome proximity to the female warrior. His first time meeting her in years and this was how things turned out, quite an unexpected turn. As she spoke to him, Link's eyes and practically his whole attention wondered to her hands. Plums of violet-laced darkness manifested on her palms, which were pressed against the shallow cut of his leg. While the physical injury was being tended to, so too was the poison coursing through his system, Link could feel it as evident by his relieved shudder. _You told me that darkness isn't as vile or scary as everyone makes it out to be…you're the reason why I can believe that, Impa. _

His traversal through the Shadow Temple had been anything but easy. While not _quite _as maddening as the Water Temple, it'd easily been twice as terrifying. He'd had to steel his body and his mind as he made his way through the former prison; endearing physical and mental scars the likes of which he needed some time to recover from. Thankfully, Impa had been there to help him through some of them. Just as she was doing that, she'd healed his injuries using her people's secret shadow magic.

"_While you probably have no reason to believe me, we Sheik do possess the means to help and heal. We can do more than just kill and maim, as you saw done there." _The royal bodyguard had said with a downtrodden look on her face. Link wanted to say something comforting, even if it was just a cobbled-up mess. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, a light blush silently forming on his cheeks. It was a blessing that Impa was too engrossed in her healing of him to notice.

The same thing was happening now, though Link had to admit his eyes wondered over her body. In particular, due to the positions they were in Link was able to catch a slight view of her chest. As a teenager, he'd admittedly let his eyes do some wonder, and he was now doing so again. Seeing the side of her breasts was an unexpected treat that he indulged in, if only for a few seconds as he realized if he kept on staring, Impa would no doubt notice. So after a quick glance he tried looking elsewhere.

His gaze naturally fell on the unconscious bandit lying just a few feet away. Link felt a rush of embarrassment and anger in realizing that such a lowly foe almost got one over on him. He didn't exactly consider himself an arrogant or overly proud man, but still. _I'm slipping. _Grumbled the blond teen. _Note to self, set some time off this weekend to get back to some training. Hell, maybe I can just offer myself as a sparring partner to some of the mercenaries in town. They're the only ones who can give me even an inkling of a challenge._

"Since you seem so interested in attempting to sear this man's soul into cinders, how would you feel about helping me escort him to the jail? After you returned that noblewoman's wallet of course?" Chirped the Sheik, apparently finished with her healing.

Link immediately rose to his feet, his arm held out. "Got any shadow rope?"

Within seconds, he realized he'd divulged a piece of information that was better left unspoken. Thankfully, Impa raised an eyebrow at best. Holding out her hands, she materialized a long mass of rope composed nearly completely of shadowy matter. Without any more thought, Link grabbed hold of the dark material then hurled it at the still unconscious thief. He gave a slight groan as his body was bound in a flash. Link yanked once, pulling the man into an upright position.

"Not bad. Seems like you have some experience with these sorts of things." Impa remarked causing Link to smirk while he collected the wallet that had clattered to the ground.

"This was one of my off days, sorry you had to see that."

"Ah, then if you were in better shape you could have done better?" She coyly challenged.

The logical side of his mind screamed for him to quit talking while he still had a way out. Link opened his mouth and said, "Yes, much better."

Impa merely regarded him with a curious gaze, then turned her attention back to the way he'd come in. "Let's get going. Perhaps I can glean more from you as we talk. Would you like to-!" The bodyguard's words died in her throat as she watched the young man, arguably no older than fifteen, effortless swing the thief, a lean but still adult man, over his shoulder, not even batting an eye at doing so. Impa was silently impressed, but of course she didn't let that show.

Nor did she let it show as they walked through Castle Town on their way to the sheriff's office. Free of her cloak and hood, all the citizens were free to gawk and stare at her as much as they wanted to. The noblewoman whose wallet had been stolen certainly did. Her eyes stained on her even as Link offered back her stolen property. Albeit he did get a thank you in the end allowing for them to continue on their way. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd walked the streets so casually, albeit it wasn't something she liked doing. Perhaps the music of her companion had put her in just that much of a good mood. Impa was willing to bait that was the case as his presence weighed heavily on her mind. Admittedly, she couldn't help but steal several glances at him as they walked.

He was "fine male specimen" as some would have called it, surprisingly tall and muscular for his age, but she'd seen his body move quick and fast. From the short scuffle she'd seen, he was trained, he was capable. Such ability wasn't natural, or at least Impa didn't believe it to be. As a rule, she kept an ear open to multiple walks of life, the savory and less savory. One particular story that interested her was that of a bartender, a young Hylian whose benign appearance hid a surprisingly capable fighter. It was almost always in self-defense, dispatching unruly bar-goers, including trained soldiers, heedless of the consequences of doing such. It didn't matter if they were drunk or not, they all fell the same.

Impa believed with all of her heart she was walking beside that young man.

_Truly, this has been an interesting day, I wonder…why does his face look so familiar? Have I not seen him before? _

The more glances she stole at him, the greater the nagging in her head. Not even upon reaching the sheriff's office and flying a report did her mind stop racing with thoughts and assumptions regarding the mysterious young man. It also dawned on Impa that she didn't even know his name. There was a way to correct that.

"Um, excuse me." Came his voice.

Blinking, Impa realized her body and mouth had been moving without her mind really being there. There were back outside, basking in the rays of the late day sun. The young man was staring directly at her, uncertainty in his eyes.

"Y-Y-Yes? B-By the way, I don't believe I caught your name, young man. I would like to know it if you don't mind." She stammered out, quickly regaining some composure.

"It's Link." He responded w a small smile. Taking a short step back, he gave a bow, "Link Axely, I work at my uncle's bar not too far down from here."

"I see, then it is ideal that I'm in the mood for a drink."

"W-What?" Stammered the young blond.

A smile graced the bodyguard's face, a smirk to be precise. "Yes, I would. You just said that your uncle owns a bar and it has been a while so perhaps I should do as my charge as asked of me and take an afternoon or two off."

The Hylian blinked; he was wondering if what was transpiring was real or if the poison was still racing through his system, and had been mixed with some sort of hallucinogen. After a minute or two, Link realized what was happening to him was real. Somewhere within him, a flower of gratitude and joy blossomed with him. Quickly regaining some rationality, he mouthed out a yes then spun on his heel. He already knew that Impa would follow him, he just hoped he didn't make too much of a fool of himself leading her back to the bar. Or that nothing else unexpected happened and he was forced to reveal more of his future knowledge.

"Out of curiosity, how long have you worked at your uncle's tavern?" Came her slightly curious voice.

"Five years. I just…I moved back to Hyrule." He blurted out. Link wished that he could indulge in some of Impa's characteristic silence. That would have been a true blessing, alas, it seems he'd used them all up in the alley way earlier.

Of course, the Sheik's interests were caught. "Moved back, that means you lived outside the kingdom, yes?"

"I was…traveling." Came his somewhat quiet answer and sullen answer. "When I came back to Hyrule, I was in for quite a shock in seeing how things had changed even though I'd only been away for a year and a half, just barely two years."

"I see," Impa noted. They were now walking together, side by side. High above their heads, the sun had begun it steady downward decent. Link and Impa were both seasoned adventurers, both could tell just by the slightly changed position that they were beginning to head into the late evening. In a few hours at best it'd be sunset; countless citizens would be scrambling up the towers and trees to get a good look at the sunset from the best vintage point possible.

Link didn't quite have to wait for that. Something just as splendid, or perhaps even more splendid, was right beside him. _Don't look at her boobs. Don't look at her boobs. Don't look at her boobs. _He continuously repeated again and again trying to keep his gaze forward. Back in the alley way, he hadn't exactly had the best chance to get a good look at the Sheikah woman, albeit he really had other things to focus on. Now, as they stood so close to one another, no longer burdened by the looming shadow of a power-crazed warlord, Link felt his inner self beginning to unwind just a bit. Part of that unwinding involved his eyes wondering over to Impa, or rather, him fighting the urge. _Really, the first time you two can really spend some time together, and this is what you're thinking about?! _Chastised the former time traveler. Luckily, he was still incredibly good at hiding his emotions behind a stoic façade. Or what he hoped was a stoic façade.

He wasn't gone enough that he failed to register when he was being spoken to, especially by the person who'd completely occupied his thoughts. "During your travels…was there where you acquired such musical and combat abilities?"

Before he responded, Link stopped and examined her words. _My music she's probably listened to a dozen or so times from me coming to the square and playing. As for my fighting…all she saw was a glimpse, that's not enough. This is Impa so there has to be more, she has to know more…_In seconds the answer came to him. He'd gotten into his fair share of scuffles, a quarter of them involving him having to break up bar barrels, some of which involved the knights of Hyrule, including the royal guard. Drunk and somber, he'd likely left an impression on them since he always made sure to show he was more than just a bartender like so many believed. Such stories must have no doubt found their way to the princess' bodyguard's ears. "Yes…that's…one way to put it. Truth be told, I had a very interesting childhood. Heh, you can say that I still do since I'm technically speaking two and a half years shy of legal age." Came his measured response.

Link saw the calculative look in her eyes. Just as he'd dissected his words, she too was doing the same to his. "Ah, so you possess a story behind you, do you?"

He smirked at her. "Doesn't everyone, even shadows?"

Quietly, the adult woman regarded the teenager with visible interest. A second passed then she too smiled. "Yes, everyone does indeed possess a story, though there are some stories better left untold."

"Do you believe my story to be one of those?" Shot back the younger male.

At first, silence greeted him. Link felt a cold sweat pour down the side of his head. His gaze was cautionary as if he on back on the battlefield, or crawling through yet another dungeon filled with hidden dangers. Given who he was speaking to, it was quite appropriate.

Finally, there came an answer. "I suppose I'll have to wait and see, Link."

A flutter passed through him hearing the future Sage of Shadows call him by his name. He felt…happy, excited almost.

Link latched onto that feeling, telling himself that it was enough for him. Even if their paths once more separated after this day, Link wanted to believe just hearing his boyhood crush call his name was enough for him to make himself content. After all, he'd done so with less; it was one of the many sad but needed things he'd learned how to do.

It kept him held over until they arrived at their destination, the Verdant Wind.

* * *

Five years in, and the Axely Family had done quite well for itself.

Starting out a modest single-floor establishment, the bar had grown considerable, gaining a steady stream of customers who nine times out of ten made sure they paid for their food and drink. Both of which the staff made sure was as top quality as they could manage. Link had done his fair share in helping where and when he could, especially ensuring that the bar wasn't damaged beyond what most would have found acceptable. Throughout those years, he'd done so with either a grim, flat, or even amused expression on his face. Hell, there were times he decided to make a show out of it, humiliating whatever poor bastard that had chosen to act a fool. It was selfish and even a tad petty, but Link amused himself in doing so, and found that he amused others. Onlookers clapped and cheered in seeing him so effortlessly dispatch unruly patrons of all shapes and sizes, and even genders. Link didn't particularly like it, but he had "escorted" some women out when they proved to be too loud and rowdy to be kept inside.

He'd honestly lost track of how many had tried to flirt with him, sometimes while he was escorting them out.

One would have asked if Link had ever had the honor of escorting a lady into his uncle's establishment, and maybe escorting them out, with his arm around theirs. Link always liked to be vague with his answers, but this evening, the answer to the former would change into a definite yes.

"Ah, so the man returns…and with a…girl?!" Shrieked the ginger-haired male just a few years older than Link. His sage-green eyes widened as he looked between his flustered coworker and the tan-skinned woman he'd silently walked in with. "I-I…Link, it's-"

"Not what it looks like, Lukas! Trust me!" Cried the Hylian male, throwing up his hands while his cheeks were assaulted by a sudden rush of heat. Just what he needed, one of his friends getting the wrong idea with the last person he ever wanted to get on the bad side of. Link was beginning to wonder if his luck was being decided on a coin flip. "I just…well, you see-"

"I've heard good things about this tavern and decided to give it a look, with some input from your friend here." Impa politely interrupted, shooting a sideways smile in Link's direction.

The heat in his cheeks grew. "C-C-Consider anything she orders to be on my tab. And Lukas, please don't blab to my uncle about this." Groaned the male blond.

Though he nodded his head, Impa could see that her companion's request would likely go unfilled. Likely because this man, Lukas, wasn't the only one privy to the two of them entering the Verdant Wind side-by-side. Others were looking, and some with good reason. While some of the bartenders and maids continued their work, they also let their eyes wonder and find their way to the two of them. The same went for some bar patrons. Impa noted how their eyes widened; they recognized her. Repressing a groan, she realized that she'd already come too far to turn back, not to mention a part of her didn't want to turn back. Things were getting…interesting in her opinion.

She watched him as he seated her then moved to take her order. Personally, she was rather impressed with their menu, it was noticeable more varied in what it offered than other establishments she'd been to. In fact, Impa would argue it was almost on par with some of the more upper-class restaurants and lavish pubs frequented by the wealthier population. That meant they either had access to materials their competitors didn't, and they likely had component cooks working in the back. For some reason, Impa wasn't all that surprised, or not as much as she should have been. Quietly, she deduced the blond Hylian to be the reason for that. As soon as her order was taken, he moved into the back no doubt where the kitchen lay. He was going to help prepare the food himself.

_He fights, he plays music, and apparently, he can cook. You've certainly traveled long and far, haven't-_Like a spear against a shield, her process of thought came to a ringing halt. Impa blinked, unsure of what she was staring at. _It's almost like…I'm…thinking of him as if I've seen him before. Or rather, that I haven't seen him in a long, long time. How strange considering that while I've seen him play for close to two years now, I've never spoken to him until this day. _Unknowingly, her hand went to the side of her head, a light throbbing slowly eating away at her skull. It of course made it hard for her to focus on anything around her, which also meant that she couldn't relax.

At least until the Hylian named Link returned from the back, carrying with him a mug of ale in his hands. Somewhat shamelessly, Impa's eyes lit up seeing the dark brownish-red liquid with a fresh coat of foam at the top. Before she knew it, her hands were reaching out, taking the mug from the younger man's hands. Before she knew it, the cup was brought to her parted lips, the fresh and fruity beverage passing through them and down her throat. The relaxing tension that had began with Link's reappearance was hastened. Gone was the light throbbing and in its place was something warm and comforting, and perhaps it wasn't just the beer.

Link watched it all with a smile on his face. It was a subconscious smile of course; he seemed to be getting a lot of them this day.

This didn't go unnoticed. Giggling to herself, a round-figured woman with hair as lavishly bright as ripe chocolate leaned over and elbowed him in the ribs. "Ah, so we know another one of your fetishes. As great as it is to indulge, Link, you should probably check in on her food. You know, have her have something in your stomach before you try to get her to try your-"

"Octavia!" Hissed the former adventurer, his face beat red. The coin toss was good to him as he shot a cautionary glance in Impa's direction. She was still thankfully too caught up in her drink to notice. At least from what Link could see; he knew the Sheikah warrior had the hearing ability required of a user of the shadows. "I'm going, I'm going. Just, please, I don't need you and Lukas tag-teaming me." He grumbled causing the brunette to laugh.

"Tag-teaming you? Link, it's more like we're dog-piling you! Cedar probably knows about this and is just staying away because he doesn't want to ruin your-mmph!"

"First off all, I don't have a fetish." Link grounded out dragging his hazel-eyed coworker and friend back into the kitchen. An unwise move.

"Everyone's got a fetish." Laughed back one of the cooks causing Link to groan. At the very least they were behind closed doors.

Sausage and mash, a basic yet always beloved dish that Link had helped prepare close to a thousand times. Add a few extra sides and it was a meal that would leave anyone feeling full. Especially if crafted by Link's seasoned hands.

And yet, the Hylian couldn't help but feel a tad nervous as he put the finishing touches on the meal then took it up into his arms. It was well and truly unlike him since he'd never felt this nervous before in preparing an order. Not even when knowing he was serving high-rent customers who for one reason or another decided to stop by the Verdant Wind for a bite. He supposed that spoke quite a bit about what he thought of Impa. All Link could hope was that his uncle wasn't somewhere watching; his friends he could take, from his only living relative, well, he'd be spending a whole lot of time waiting it out in the forest.

"Ah, I like what I see." Spoke the Sheikah woman with hungry light shimmering in her eyes. "Link, out of curiosity, have you eaten today?"

"I-I'm on the clock s-so, that can wait for later." He responded hoping not to sound too nervous. In spite of his nerves, he could still hear the snickering of his coworkers behind them, mainly the catty suggestions. Link wondered about telling them all that they were serving a woman who could, if she wanted to, silt their throats in a heartbeat, including while they were sleeping in bed and they'd never even know it. The idea was scrapped as he realized some like Tomas would just say that made her a perfect fit for him. Heaving out a sigh, the swordsman realized he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

All of it was oddly fitting considering he was interacting with the Sage of Shadows, normally a Sheikah who oversaw the darker and nastier aspects of Hyrule's history and existence. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't face.

Impa's face was what he watched out of the corner of his eye. Even as he tended to other customers. It was like a magnet that continuously drew him back no matter how far he went. It was a good thing he'd become good at multi-tasking, and keeping a shred of attention on his surroundings. He avoided tripping over his feet or running into anything, and helped keep others from doing so as well.

_Relaxed,_ Link note with a soft smile. _She's happy and relaxed. _It was that expression that allowed him to focus on his own work. As he'd told her, he was still on the clock thus he still had some work to do. The scuffle in the alley and attempted thief was now little more than a memory rapidly fading from his mind.

While the memories in his mind faded away, Impa felt her own slowly pushing their way to the surface. Still, she had no idea where they were sprouting from. Slowly, she glanced up from her freshly prepared food, now half-eaten, to catch a glimpse of the one who'd made it. He was watching her, and she was watching him. Red eyes met blue eyes in a seconds-long exchange.

_Yes…I'm sure of it, there's something…special about this boy. Something very special…and I can't ignore it._

* * *

_**Verdant Wind Tavern, 1:54 AM…**_

"See you guys in the morning!" Yelled the blond Hylian waving to his Lukas and Tomas as they waved back, dug in and ready for the next hour or so until the Verdant Wind closed and too could depart on their way home. They wouldn't be required to come in until around three or four in the afternoon, at which point Octavia and a few others would be free to leave for the day and night. It was an efficient system that was able to work due to the organizing of Cedar and the work ethic of those under his employ.

The male brunette smiled with pride as he and his nephew departed the establishment, looking back at the torch-lit building. Even as they left, they saw a handful walk through the doors, perhaps eager to get a few drinks in before retiring somewhere for the night.

As it was past midnight, the moon had reached its highest point in the sky, shining its silvery glow upon Castle Town and it thousands of occupants. The Axely Family were just two of them, enjoying the late summer air at their leisure.

"So…you're…not going to ask me about it." Link began keeping his eyes dead ahead.

"Ask about what?" Began the scar-faced man innocently. The last five years had been rather good to him. A few close shaves here and there, but an overall good life had left him free of gray hairs, even as he pushed past fifty. Cedar didn't expect that to continue to last though, especially not with his nephew growing older by the day.

The blond Hylian looked to his guardian with a pointed stare. "Really, the innocent act? Come on, practically everyone was blabbing, and I know for a fact that Gretchen must have said _something_ to you."

Cedar playfully rolled his eyes. "Or, you know, I could have seen something with my own eyes. I haven't quite withered away yet, you know."

"Never said that you did, uncle." Chuckled the younger male kicking a thrown away beer glass to the side. "It's just…well…"

"Now, you know I don't like imposing on you; when I first contacted you and you agreed to live under my roof, I made a vow I wouldn't do that. That said…as your guardian…I…do worry that you don't socialize as much as you should or you can. It's not like you're the same slightly traumatized young man whom I met five years ago." Cedar explained looking his nephew in the eye. If there was one thing that defined the two men as blood-related, it was the unwavering nature of their eyes whenever they chose to speak from the heart. It was such a trait that had earned them not only some lifelong customers, but also some of their own employees. "All that said…I noticed you were…different around that woman, a Sheik if I remember right. Honestly, that was my first time ever seeing one. There's more than a few who doubt they even exist."

"That just means that they're good at their job." Link said with an air of pride in his voice.

Though Cedar picked up on that, he chose to say nothing. He had his suspicions, but he'd keep them to myself, and wait until they were back in the comfort of their own home first. "I've seen how you get when you're really around people you're comfortable with; it took you almost a full year before you were that relaxed around me. Not that I can blame you. It's just with that woman…you know, I don't even know her name."

"Do you _need _to know her name?"

Cedar smiled causing his nephew's frown to deepen. "Now you're looking like your age."

"It's nothing, seriously, all of this is just a whole lot of fuss over…nothing." The words gradually died in his throat as he decided to come to a stop. Cedar stopped beside him, looking confused for a moment, but gradually coming to understand the reason for his hesitation. He looked to him asking if the presence following them was hostile. Link shook his head indicating it wasn't at least not as far as he could feel. Certainly, there was a particular presence following them, but it wasn't malicious. That meant their little tag along wasn't an assassin…or somewhat more worryingly, Link's skills had slipped further than he was willing to admit.

His ears picked up the slight groaning of wood. Feet, pressing down likely in preparation for a bounce. Seconds alter his pointed ears twitched as they registered the familiar sound of air being sliced through.

Shooting out his left hand, the fifteen-year-old caught the kunai-like blade between his fingers. Not sparing a second, he flipped the weapon into a reverse grip then used it to parry the next trio of knives. Each of them implanted themselves in the ground at his feet. Behind him, Cedar barely baited an eye; he merely gazed upward at the rooftops trying to get a bead on their pursuer. The seasoned bartender and cook had seen enough to tell the difference between an attempted assassination and a test; this was without a doubt the latter. A test for his nephew.

"If your plan is to stay in the shadows until we get back home, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I'm not up for playing this game as it's been a long day and I'm eager to get back home and hit the sheets." Nonchalantly declared the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. In a quick motion, he hurled the dagger at the shadows precisely back where it came from. There was no sound of penetration as he'd expected.

She dropped from the rooftops, slowly emerging into the light of the alley way, a thin smile on her face. "You've known of me for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Since about…eh, six blocks back. If I had to venture a guess, you've watching us since we left the Verdant Wind and were planning on following us all the way home." Link stated fully facing the Sheikah woman. While he knew Impa would never turn her blade against the innocent without good reason, he felt his protective instincts rising up. He'd been in this situation before, and one slip up had landed the man behind him a few scars he was better off without. Link had not intention of allowing that to happen again, not even at the hands of his crush. _Wait a minute, did I seriously just-_

"Please, at ease, Link. I did not come with ill intent towards you or your uncle." Impa spoke sheathing her blade then raising her hands. In a second she'd read his stance and his eyes and reacted in a way only a seasoned warrior would. Behind her calming expression, Impa was further intrigued. _He's tense and ready for anything. _

"Ahem, if it wouldn't be so much trouble, is there any reason why you've been tailing me and my nephew?" began Cedar keeping his voice as cool as possible. Like his nephew, he didn't sense any outright hostility, but that didn't mean he should lower his guard. If anything, the fact that the person he was speaking to was a Sheik made him tighten it.

At first, the shadow warrior was silent. It seemed as if she herself were trying to decide what her purpose in following them was, or perhaps trying to figure out how best to phrase it. "Link," she began shifting her focus to the blond teenager. "I…have you considered enrolling…in the knights academy on the royal grounds?"

There was a bewildered blink on the swordsman's part. "Huh?"

For his uncle, his eyes lit up like candles. "You've come to offer him enrollment? Goddesses yes! You are shining upon our family after all!"

"Uncle!" Cried the blond.

Cedar crossed his arms and looked his charge in the eye with a cocky smile. "Suppose you don't want me telling the others you were personally recruited by the princess' bodyguard herself!"

"Will you stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Well, actually, I did come to recruit you." Impa politely countered causing the Hylian to spin around to face her. Standing up straight, she attempted to look as professional as the situation would permit. For some reason, this wasn't turning out quite as how she'd expected. "I have…well, I haven't been completely honest with you. For a while, I've heard tales of a mysterious young man with great fighting ability, who also happens to work at a rather fine tavern-"

"Thank you." Cedar chirped taking a mock bow while his teenage nephew lightly rolled his eyes.

"Admittedly, my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to investigate…but things…fell into place when I headed out into town to hear you play." She continued.

Link's eyes widened, then softened as the realization dawned on him. "You've been listening in."

A small smile formed on the normally stoic woman's lips. "Like so many others. Today was merely the first day that I actually spoke to you face to face. Usually, you get so caught up in your playing that I…I simply chose to listen then continue on my way. Anyways, I deduced you to be the same person spoken of, handling trained mercenaries and soldiers…and occasional roaming monsters." After giving that brief stint of information some time to sink in, Impa decided to continue on. She already knew her next words would be something of a bombshell. "In fact…I hear this mysterious teenager has also ventured into the Koriki Forest…and returned alive and sane."

As she suspected, the two tensed, one more so than the other.

Cedar nervously looked to his nephew, who stared straight ahead at the shadow warrior. Moving her gaze downward, she saw Link's hands flexing and unflexing.

"And…you believe me to be this person?" He started.

"Just a hunch." She coolly shot back.

His eyebrows rose in an almost mocking way. "And you'd like me in the Knights of Hyrule because no one else has such deeds on their resume, but me, a lowly bartender?"

"Big things sometimes have humble beginnings. Besides…that ocarina of yours is of ancient design, we Sheik bequeathed them to the Hyrule royal family some centuries ago. I highly doubt you came upon it by chance or bought it off some vendor on the street."

Suspicion cloaked the young man's body as he digested her words. She knew that he knew they were the truth, but that was merely one aspect of all of this. Odds were, he wasn't going to deny any of what she'd just said; however, there was still no insensitive for him to accept her offer. Most people would be jumping for joy at the offer in the first place, not questioning it. In Impa's eyes Link's hesitancy made him special thus worth her time and interest.

His next words further peaked it. "Say that I…refuse, what will you do?" Though he felt his uncle's eyes on him, he ignored it and kept his blue orbs focused on the Sheik's crimson-red.

Her shoulders relaxed. "Then I would accept your choice…but I hope you wouldn't bar me from your tavern, I rather enjoy the food and atmosphere." She answered with a slight smile.

Sheepishly, the Hylian scratched the back of his head. "Regarding the latter, you actually came in on a good day. You should see us when we're serving some warbands come back from some great victory campaign or something."

"I fear that wouldn't compound things. As you can no doubt guess, I can handle myself quite well." Like a distant clap of thunder, Impa's heart echoed in her ears. "If you're feeling doubtful of that claim…I can give you a…demonstration."

A similar echo could be heard in Link's own mind. "Here?"

"Um, here for what?" Cedar questioned looking between the two. Slowly, it dawned on him, and the bar owner wasn't quite sure he liked it. "Now wait just a moment. Don't you both think this is a bit…I don't…cramped? Plus, it's a bit late, don't either of you think?"

"I can use a little excitement before bed." Link responded, a smile slowly forming along his face.

"As can I, besides, as a Sheik the night is far less a hindrance to me than to most." Echoed the white-haired woman.

A heavy-hearted sigh left the brown-haired man. _I honestly wonder if I should tell them how…oh, forget it. This situation's already gone far beyond what I expected. To think we could be back home then spend the morning signing the paperwork for your enrollment. Then again…_The thought continued on even as he silently watched the exchange between the two fighters. Yes, that's what they were, even if one walked in the light and the other in the shadows. Ultimately, they were the same. _Two sides of the same coin I suppose, all that's left to see is which side it lands on tonight. _Cedar felt the wound up tension in his body begin to slip away. Quite a thing considering he was about to be a spectator to quite a fight.

Said fight didn't take place in an alley way as he'd warned. Instead, the battle would happen in a park, naturally deserted at this time of night with no one around for a few blocks. He stood off to the side where he'd hopefully be out of the way enough for his nephew and the Sheikah woman. Few clouds drifted through the starry night sky, but one came in just close enough to block the light of the half-moon from the view of mortals. When it passed the battle would being.

Looking between the pair, Cedar could see they were eager for the fight to begin. They were both warriors at their core, though one had been living in denial. He smiled in hoping that denial was now at its end.

Once the pale glow of the moon returned, both fighters took off at one another, their legs colliding in dual kicks that sent a light breeze through the park. Neither of them showed any sign of pain or discomfort as they broke apart, then began lobbing punches and kicks at one another. The Sheik was faster by a slight margin, but Link was no slouch himself, nor was he unable to keep up with her.

Her hands moved like lightning, sometimes closed fists and other times her fingers lying flat as a board. Cedar had no doubt the latter possessed almost as much power as a blade, yet they lacked the raw sharpness of a blade thus Link was able to parry them. At times he even risked it and caught her attempted chops mid-swing. He didn't hold on for long as the warrior woman quickly wrenched her arm free, sometimes following it up with a secondary strike from her legs or free arm. More than once caw hairs fly from his nephew's blond head as he just narrowly avoided her attacks. Gradually, he began to see that he was on the defensive.

At least until Link decided to fight back.

He dodged a thrusting blow with a slight step to the side, and retaliated with an uppercut that nearly socked the white-haired woman right in the chin. Little more than a dark brown blur, he swerved about, his leg outstretched and on a collision course with the Sheik's abdomen. Just as quickly as the teenager, the woman ducked low causing the teen to hit nothing but empty air. In that short window of time, she rushed forward, like a snake going in for the kill. Link came to a stop, crouched then kicking off the pavement. Briefly, the white-haired woman's eyes widened as his shadow passed over her; a moment later and they were refocused as her body twisted about and she attempted to deliver a right jab.

Which was deflected with a move of the Hylian's left arm, all while his right leg struck out, coming within striking distance of the woman's face.

Her left hand shot out, grabbing Link's ankle and twisting it. His whole body flew, yet it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Coming up out of the roll, he was ready for her as she came at him with a flying side kick he masterfully avoided. They were back at it, throwing and dodging punches and kicks, any of whom would have taken down a lesser man.

Cedar could see the developing smiles on their faces. Where as most people might have seen a fight, he saw a dance. The dance between two people whose lives revolved around combat. He also felt like he was staring into a window into the past. For just a moment, he felt as if he were a young man again, and instead of his nephew he was watching his brother do what he did best-hold his own in a fight. Something told Cedar that his deceased sibling would be quite happy to know that his son was holding his ground against a Sheik, one of those entrusted with guarding the royal family. He himself felt a bit of pride in watching Link got at it.

Things changed when he literally lost sight of the Sheikah woman, as did Link supposedly.

While she may have been out of his physical sight, she wasn't out of his physical mind. His eyes remained as focused as ever. Only for a second then they widen as he spun his body to his right, his arms rising to parry the incoming kick which was nullified. There was a quick wisp of darkness, then Link was moving again, ducking this time. He moved with refined speed and precision, as did his enemy, who grow excited in seeing that her "shadow movements" were being tracked. To the sole onlooker of the battle, it was an amazing sight as it seemed the teenage Hylian was outright predicting where the next attack would come from, and reacting accordingly to it.

Three dark shadows loomed over the teenager, all three looking exactly like one another. Together, they all descended, red eyes focused in on the young man.

Link's body glowed fiery orange, his eyes hardening mere seconds before he slammed his fist down into the ground. A fiery wall rose up around him, burning away two of the shadows while forcing the third and real McCoy back, her hands covering her face. Said face was one of deep shock. Around Link, pavement was scorched black while grass burned; he grinned all the while, pouring more of his magical power into the flaming barrier. It was an unconventional shield bash, but one he'd grown quite good at. His uncle's cry of alarm was little more than a leaf in the wind to his ears.

Red eyes widened in seeing the fire barrier grow, threatening to consume Impa if she didn't act fast. That's exactly what she did, weaving a barrier of condensed darkness around herself. It seared and howled as it came into contact with the flaming barrier, the two eventually canceling one another out. When she looked back, she found that her opponent was gone. Getting a feeling, she looked up, and was quite surprised to find him rising above her, his arms spread out and his eyes cackling with fiery determination.

Impa froze in mid-air, her mind screeching to a halt as her vision distorted.

A green tunic with a matching colored cap and brown leather gloves and a belt. Across the left shoulder stretched another strap, one that contained a sheathed sword within it. While a part of her tried to focus on the sword's hilt, dimming it to be familiar, her eyes were drawn to the face. Older, focused, mature.

_Handsome. _

"Huh?!" Only at the last second was she able to bring her arms up to block the axe kick that would have hit her right in the face. Impa felt herself descend downward. Her back hitting the scorched ground with a slight thud. The pain was temporary, but still noticeable. Quickly, she rolled out of the way and was back into a fighting position as her attacker descended, then came at her. Now that he had the exhilaration of battle in him, there was no stopping him. At least if he was facing someone besides Impa.

The Hylian was the one on the attack this time, which didn't bother her in the slightest. She actually enjoyed being on the receiving end of his barrage of blows. It felt much like he was somehow…relieving himself, perhaps because she was the first opponent in a long while to stand on even ground with him. Impa could understand the feeling quite well.

Arguably, that was why she held off on counterattacking for as long as she did. Their feet danced around the scorched ground Resounding through the desolate park was the sound of skin clashing against skin. Sweat gradually began to accumulate on their bodies, an indicator that both fighters were now giving the battle at hand their full effort. As such, solid blows were few and far between. In the blink of an eye, that changed though.

Link threw a clear and direct right cross that Impa gracefully stepped out of the side of. While Link watched his opponent, he saw her right arm move in a blur. Suddenly, he couldn't feel his right arm anymore. Pulling back, he acted quickly and slammed his left index and middle finger into his forearm. Seeing this, Impa's jaw suddenly dropped.

_He knows of pressure points! More importantly, he knows how to mend them before their effects truly set in! _

A repeat followed, only this time with the youth's left leg. Pulling it back and falling into a crouch, Link slammed his knee against his paralyzed limb, the concentrated vibrations canceling out the paralysis. Still, it all took a few seconds to happen, which was all Impa needed to go in for yet another attack. Seeing it, Link acted on sheer impulse; he threw himself forward with all of his mind.

"Gah!" Cried the Sheik, caught completely off-guard by the sudden but very forceful and direct headbutt that caught her in the stomach. Even when half-crippled, the boy moved incredibly fast and still retained some measure of force.

"Not quite what I thought I'd see tonight," Whistled the male brunette as the two fighters rolled across the park ground. "That on the other hand," he mused as the roll came to an end with the Sheikah woman on top and his nephew on the ground.

"Had I blade, this would make for quite a standoff." She spoke spying the way her opponent's left hand lay flat against the ground, magical energy coiling beneath his palm. If push came to shove, he could use Din's Fire again. At such a close range she'd take more than a few second degree-burns.

Link laughed in spite of the position he was in. "Trust me, you don't need a blade. Sheik are trained to fight and kill with anything on hand, including your bare hands." Her fingers were flat and held against his throat. Ordinary people would have believed that was it, the next attack would be nonfatal, but Link knew better than that. He knew that Impa could silt his throat with her bare fingers, he'd seen her break wood apart and even user her Sheikah magic to turn her bare hands into deadly shadow blades. Even without Ganondorf's reign of terror, something told him those abilities remained, she still had a job in protecting the princess after all.

A late summer wind blew across the park ruffling the leaves and the grass, including the scorched grass. It was like a soft melody in the ears of the two fighters who stared into one another's opposite colored eyes for what seemed like an eternity. After a day of side glances and avoidance, they were finally eye-to-eye. And it was mesmerizing for the both of them.

Outside of their little cocoon though, life went on. A yawn was just barely stifled from the mouth of Cedar Axely, who nervously stepped forward catching their attention. It was quite telling in that both their eyes went to him the moment he made a move. "Um, not that I want to interrupt your…excitement, but, Link, has all of this helped you come to a decision?"

Blue eyes shifted back up to the Sheik. "Is that offer still on the table?"

"What, afraid that I'd withdraw it after besting you in battle?" Impa challenged with a smirk tugging at her lips.

"I think we both know this is a tie." Coolly shot back the blond.

The smirk came out in full, in turn causing Link himself to smile in amusement. Watching them, Cedar let out a short but noticeable laugh.

Gradually, the pair separated, Cedar helping his nephew to his feet. He looked to his uncle, who gave him an encouraging smile before facing the royal bodyguard and bowing. "I would be honored to accept your invitation, Lady Impa."

"Please," she began raising her right hand. "Just call me Impa. Princess Zelda is the one whom you must be formal with, not me, at least not yet. Come by the royal academy tomorrow bearing these emblems." Reaching behind her back, she pulled out two medallions that were deposited in Link's hands. One bore the tear-eyed mark of the Sheik in dark metal while the other was the crest of a pair of swords crossed over beneath the Triforce. "Do make sure to get a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast, there may be a request for another demonstration before you can be admitted. Some believe that my eye for talent isn't as sharp as it truly is."

"Well, with all due respect, Ms. Impa, you found herself a golden seed in my nephew." Happily boasted the bar owner slapping his smirking nephew on the back.

"I do believe that I have…and I look forward to seeing if I've been proven right. Goodnight, Link." She said looking him in the eye with a curious glint before stepping backward and raising her hand, quicker than the eye could see.

Usual eye anyway.

Just before she vanished in a burst of light, she spotted the way Link went to cover his uncle's eyes as well as his own. As if he were expecting the flash from the Deku Nut she threw to make her stealthy exit.

_Link Axely, I'll most certainly be keeping an eye on you. _Thought the snow-haired woman making her unseen departure.

As the two Hylians looked back, they found that they were alone in the park. The only indicator of the "exhibition match" between the teenage warrior and the adult bodyguard was the burnt patch of grass and pavement only a few feet from them.

"Suppose we should be grateful she's not going to make us pay for that." Cedar mused.

"Yeah, in fact, I'm pretty sure she probably forgot about the whole thing." Responded the blond testing out his limbs. There was a dull pain in them, but nothing that would last until the morning. "Suppose we should probably get going, it's looking like tomorrow's going to be a big day, huh?"

Laughing at his charge's attempt to play things off, the older Hylian began to walk forward, his gaze never one falling on Link. Granted, it didn't need to in order to put the young blond in an uncomfortable position. "So…that was Impa, the future Sage of Shadows. She seems quite a woman."

"Can we please save some of this for breakfast?" Groaned the teenager.

Throwing back his head in roaring laughter, the bar owner continued to march on ahead, his nephew keeping pace with him, albeit with a deflated head. "Well, one thing I can say for sure…you've certainly got your mother's blood in you." He commented with a distant smile which caught Link's attention.

"What do you mean by that?"

Keeping his gaze ahead, he patted the teen's shoulder. "You'll come to understand soon enough, just be patient."

Link knew he could do that, yet he also knew that doing so would be a tad difficult. He still possessed the Ocarina of Time thus he could manipulate time to a certain extent. There was always the temptation, even as he'd grown and matured. Ultimately, time was one of the things that even he, a hero chosen by the goddesses, had only so much control over. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. Sometimes one had to let time take its natural course; sometimes there was a positive waiting at the end of it all. This day Link believed that more strongly than he had in a while.

And odds were, the next couple of days would reaffirm that belief, and perhaps a little more than.

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**It took me waaay too long to get this chapter out, so, again, sorry for the wait. I'm going to try to keep the updates going a little more regularly, especially since I really want to start getting into Link's "school life" as just another trainee amongst hundreds of others. Albeit I'm sure you all know he's going to be damn near at the top of the list given he's literally got years of experience on top of most of his soon-to-be revealed classmates. Next chapter will also start showing things from Impa's side as she's the female lead of this story…kind of weird considering she's always a supporting character, but hey, it's a fan story so hip hip hooray! **

**Next chapter should be posted within a week or so. It'll feature Link's "enrollment" and the resulting fireworks. Until then, readers! **


	3. Chapter 3-A Star is Born

**Welcome to the third chapter of this little story, everyone. I wanted to get this chapter out before Christmas got here as it's pretty much going to be the last chapter of the year with the next one coming out in 2020. Of course, a few things are going to be established this chapter including Link going from a small-time bartender to, well, you all will have to read on to see. **

**I do not own anything.**

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_**Chapter 3-A Star is Born**_

_**Hyrule Castle, two hours past midnight…**_

The white stone of the castle exterior stood out in sharp contrast to the darkness of the night. It stood strong and regal over the land, rivaling even the forested hills that served as the "backyard" of the castle and its royal occupants. Of course, such hills were also manned by sentries that safeguarded not just Hyrule Castle but all of Castle Town from the rear. Impa herself had served in those garrisons, expecting them and providing advice when needed to sure up the defenses. While she wasn't the chief of castle security, she did make it a goal of hers to know all the ins and outs of the castle. She was after all a Sheikah warrior thus it was part of her duties.

Such duties also came with certain…personal perks. One such perk being the ability to sneak in and out without anyone knowing or questioning her on how her night had been.

Someone else was there, waiting to do the questioning. "So, how was your day, Impa?"

The first few times this had happened, it gave the Sheik heart attacks, but she felt a small spark of pride as well. It meant that her young charge was learning, albeit she wished that Zelda used the skill she taught her for things more…practical than checking in on her. Especially when she should have been in bed sleeping after a hard day's work.

A heavy sigh fell from the older woman's lips while the teenage blonde merely giggled. "If I give you a straight answer, will you hurry back to bed?"

"Don't I always after you've told me a bedtime story?" Giggled the young royal.

That was the case…about six times out of ten. While there were times when Impa felt exhausted by it, she was immensely happy for the princess' bubbly disposition. She couldn't identify the feeling, but she always felt like somehow, this life was…good, the best. It was funny as she felt like she was comparing their time to something else, almost like another lifetime. Perhaps it was another time period as the royal family had been the center points of much chaos and darkness in the past. In those times it had fallen to Impa's ancestors to protect them, a job where they had to learn fast least their charges pass from this realm into the next. She'd been told those were dark times and Impa honestly believed them.

What unsettled her was that she somehow felt like she herself had _lived _through one of those dark times. The feeling sometimes came and went, usually when she let her mind wonder. Or when she saw Zelda off enjoying herself, running and laughing through the courtyard and forests with such a happy and carefree smile. Impa could have sworn she sometimes her vision grew clouded and instead of a smiling face she saw a little girl filled with fear as she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Sometimes Impa was the one doing the carrying, a dark frown on her face that only came to when in the heat of battle. Particularly a losing one that left no choice but to flee.

The visions were most vivid in her dreams, where the experience could only be described as akin to spirit walking. Perhaps that's what would happen to her tonight when allowed herself to rest.

Being a relatively simple woman, Impa preferred to keeping her clothing as simple and efficient as possible, even when it came to sleeping. One never knew when she'd have to rouse herself from bed to defend her charges. A pair of brown-colored trunks that cut off just a little below her heels and a plain cotton shirt that would keep her upper body warm. Beneath it lay a set of bandages around her chest, perhaps the one constant to any article of clothing she wore no matter the occasion. It was plain and simple, just how she liked it.

That same philosophy arguably applied to her room in the royal castle, and her bed. She personally insisted on it being just large enough for a single person-her. There had of course been remarks centered on how tight a squeeze it would be if she ever "brought someone over". At those remarks Impa just rolled her eyes and carried on. The closest she'd ever come to such a thing was Zelda sitting atop her bed now, patiently waiting for her "bedtime story" as promised.

Impa finally joined her on the side, fingers laced together and her gaze directed forward. "I got to listen to some wonderful music." She stated nonchalantly.

Zelda nodded her head. "…And?"

"That's it." Responded the Sheikah woman.

"No it isn't!" Came her expected cry. Impa of course looked away to hide the smirk on her cheeks.

"Yes, that is it. Nothing more."

"I can't be! You came here happy, I felt it!"

She finally looked back to the blonde with a raised eyebrow. "Using your powers to spy on me again?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Lightly challenged future queen defiantly crossing her arms. "I have these magical powers that shall one day involve into foresight, I will have no choice but to use them as responsibly as possible. I'd best use them as _irresponsibly _as possible while I still can!" Zelda cried.

A chuckle finally escaped from the stoic warrior. "Just imagine if your father could hear you say such a thing. By the goddesses, I should be appalled to hear such words."

"But you're not, are you?" Coyly challenged the princess grinning from ear-to-ear. "More importantly, some of what I've picked up I've learned from you!"

On that, she really couldn't argue against the future monarch. Albeit that didn't mean she couldn't say anything. "Then I shall have to further curb my behavior around you. The last thing I want is for you to grow up into a hooligan." All that did was get another laugh out of Zelda. Impa herself let out an affectionate snicker. Back in her youth she had to admit she herself had some…inclinations that resulted in a stern talking to from her parents and teachers. Still, it was quite fun and she never could find it in herself to regret her actions. "I suppose you are privy to just a few more details. I had a good evening meal, at a rather nice bar."

"A bar? Hm, that makes sense as I know that you dislike heading into restaurants whenever not occupying me. Can you tell me the name? Perhaps you can take me by there some time!"

"Yes, maybe one day." If such a thing ever came to pass Impa would make sure to run it by the Axely Family first and foremost. While they no doubt kept order within their establishment, this was the royal princess, the future queen of the realm. No safety steps could be skipped out. "The cooks and staff were kind, the food was…well, let's say for one reason or another it was one of the best meals I've had in a while."

"Better even than what the royal cooks have prepared?"

"I won't answer that question."

"I can order you to." Zelda pressed with a childish grin on her face.

Again, the Sheik rolled her eyes. The blonde always fell back on that, of course the threat was never serious. Faintly, Impa wondered one day if it ever would be. She dismissed the thought reasoning she'd never come close to anything remotely even close to what Zelda was picturing. Hopefully.

A moment passed bringing her train of thought to a stop, primarily in favor of another one. She knew that her charge wouldn't be content to head back into her room until she'd gotten at least something fairly interesting out of her. Impa liked to think she'd feed Zelda at least half of that so all she needed now was a final push. She supposed there was no harm in revealing a little more detail. It helped that by this time tomorrow, for all she knew, she'd know of one the knight's new recruits. _Look at me, I'm so…assured that he'll prove himself and be admitted as a trainee, a squire. _It wasn't like this was anything new. Previous scouting trips and observations had yielded similar results, yet Impa felt something different about this one. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it didn't even really start out as a scouting trip. Ultimately, it was just a leisure journey, a walk and sit-down to relax.

Sensing a pair of familiar blue eyes on her, Impa crossed her arms and looked out to the window to her right. From the start she'd planned out how she wanted her room in the royal palace to look. It wasn't like she _truly _lived here. A bed for sleeping and bookcases filled with books she occasionally read and two wooden closets. It was at best a guest room, nothing more; arguably that's what she was in Hyrule Castle, a guest.

Breathing out, Impa began the next, and hopefully final, part of her tale. "The person playing the music…he was using an ocarina, much like the ones my tribe use." She knew Zelda's eyes had widened at the description. In the land of Hyrule, ocarinas were somewhat rare instruments. It had been believed that centuries ago, the ownership of them was outlawed barring those of the royal family and those accepted by the Sheik. Rather or not such a thing was true, Impa honestly never bothered to look into. She did know that barring her, there were others who not only owned ocarinas but could hand them out at their digression. There was a possibility that's how Link had come by his come by his ocarina. "He was quite proficient with it, close to or dare I say a trained musician. I…I enjoyed myself, I spent the afternoon listening to him play it."

Zelda's eyes were practically twinkling. Impa could tell that she wanted to know more, specifically about what this person might have looked like. And if he was willing to give a concert for royalty. Alas, such a thing was pushed to the side as she had her duties and free time for such a thing was looking to be few and far between. Perhaps in two weeks or so, provided Zelda was able to get a hold of Impa and coax the identity of this musician out of her. Such secrets were things that the blonde had grown used to discovering; it was almost like a cute little game she and her bodyguard played. Personally, Zelda believed Impa saw it as a type of training, developing the intuition that she would need to one day rule Hyrule as its queen.

"Suppose that's all I'm going to be getting out of, isn't it?" She finally said with a soft smile.

"Yes, yes, it is. Zelda, it's nothing to think too hard about, especially when you have such bigger things to plan for in the future." Came the warrior woman's parental tone. Now it was Zelda playfully rolling her eyes, just like the teenage child that many often saw her as to the Sheikah woman. At times that's exactly what her young charge arguably felt like. Realizing it was the end, the young royal rose, Impa joining her. Together, they exited the Sheik's room and began down the interconnecting hallways of Hyrule Castle. It was only natural that their rooms weren't that far apart. If something happened Impa needed to be able to move the distance in time to get to her.

Albeit being a Sheik, she could sprint from the castle basement to the highest towers if her charge's life were in danger. Such a trait had made some laugh and others look to her with a mixture of awe and respect, the king himself being chief among them.

Naturally, Zelda's room was the exact opposite of Zelda's in every way-massive, luxurious, and perhaps most of all-comforting. Such was the nature of its occupant, a fifteen-year-old girl who would one day be the heart and soul of her nation.

For now, that heart and soul was to sleep in the expansive and fluffy queen-sized bed that took up space at the far left side of the room. There were some who would have said that the princess was perhaps a tad too old to be tucked into bed like this, well, Impa would have had a word with them. One that would likely end with them petrified where they stood and their heart rates racing.

"See you tomorrow, Impa." Spoke the blue-eyed blonde shutting her eyes for the last time that day.

"Yes, see you tomorrow as well, Zelda." Laughed the white-haired woman rising from the edge of the bed and leaving the extravagant bedroom. As usual, she made sure to shut the door as softly as she could behind her. Afterwards, she literally melted into the shadows, traveling alongside them as she covered the short distance back to her room. She too slipped inside, barely a hush rising from the entire affair.

Once back inside, Impa sat at the edge of her bed. She bowed her head, eyes shut and attempted to concentrate. Still, the nagging remained only to be chased away by the soft melody that Link had been playing. Crossing it with those she'd heard in the past, she attempted to find a commonality in it all. Her efforts bore little to no fruit leaving her as frustrated as she had been. Cursing, she realized this was no way for her to go to sleep. Tomorrow would be an interesting day as it would be Link's "entry exam" so to be speak. She was sure without a doubt that things would be…lively in one way or another.

Personally, she wondered what role she would play, or rather, what she would bear witness to. The excitement was almost enough that Impa couldn't find it in herself to keep her eyes shut. Luckily, sleep did eventually come to her, and with it, a much-needed sense of relaxation.

* * *

_**The Next Day...**_

He'd been awake for nearly twenty minutes. Based on a look around, including through the window, he didn't have to be up for another forty-minutes. The sensible thing to do would have been to try to go back to sleep. Link wanted to do that, he _tried _to do that. What had ended up happening was he'd lay in bed awake while his mind raced with a hundred different things. As time gradually wore on the list was worn down to leave a select few things all of which fell under one topic. In the end, he was doing something he'd found himself doing a lot of, and might have even come to loath-contemplating the future.

In this case though, the future had arguably come and was now the present. It would be the present.

_It's not like I can just back out of this. It's not like I…want to. _Though the Hylian turning over onto his side. This was yet another little habit of his-turning over onto his side whenever he found himself waist-deep in thought, and likely trying to turn away from a thought pattern. In this case, he was telling himself that there was no point in trying to turn back, nor should he have wanted to. If he did turn back now how would that look before Impa, whose opinion he valued more than he reasonably should have.

He was a stranger to her in this new timeline free of the King of Evil's taint. Yet, she wasn't so much a stranger to her. No doubt if they interacted such clashing facts would make things…awkward. The only upside would hopefully be they wouldn't see too much of each other, that she would have other duties like protecting the princess instead of being around him. Hell, he would be a trainee just like all the others! The odds of him meeting Zelda were incredibly slime!

Not to mention there was the loose possibility of her recognizing him from that day close to five years ago. There was a good chance that Zelda would have completely forgotten about him; he wouldn't hold it against her if she did as between then and now a whole multitude of things had likely happened. That certainly was the case on his end, yet some names and faces were unforgettable.

Were anyone else such as his uncle privy to such knowledge, they might have found it a bit odd how it was the bodyguard and not the princess he was thinking of. That wasn't how things went, at least not according to the old fables and legends. Link laughed as he got up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. It might have just been him, but he could have sworn he could see the first rays of light from the rising sun sneaking their way into his room. Rising to his feet, he walked over and pushed aside the curtains.

Indeed, the upper curve of the sun could be seen rising above the horizon casting the hundreds of buildings in an orange glow. Pushing open the window, Link felt the early morning breeze lightly kiss his skin. He hoped it didn't rain, but if it did, he'd make the most of it. Should it come down to it he'd fight in the rain; he'd done it before and three times out of five he managed to avoid catching a cold.

Without thinking, he held his hand out, allowing his naked palm to feel the warm breeze now blowing across Castle Town. It was more than likely going to be the last batch of the summer as in just two short weeks, autumn would officially begin. Link couldn't help but find something almost…fitting in that.

In two months' time it would also be Impa's birthday.

Shutting the thought before it could begin to consume him, Link withdrew his hand, his lung inhaling a hearty douse of fresh morning air. That was all the recharge he needed as he turned on his heel and headed towards the door, making his way downstairs for the kitchen.

Almost twenty minutes later as he was deep into his cooking he heard a familiar set of footsteps and yawning. Smiling, he turned back to find his scar-faced uncle entering the kitchen area. Upon seeing him, the older Hylian smiled.

"Here I was trying to wake up early so I could make some breakfast for you." Cedar mused taking his seat at the table. He already knew any attempts to dissuade his nephew would fail, besides, he knew that cooking was a way for Link to ease his nerves. On a day like this, he needed to be as relaxed and as focused as possible. "So, were you able to sleep?" He expectedly said as he was handed a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Link knew that question would be the first thing his uncle asked him. "Yeah…at least until I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Luckily, by then the sun was coming up so…you get the idea. Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to be falling asleep out there." He added getting a short chuckle out of his uncle.

"I also don't want you getting cocky out there either. We both know you could take down a platoon of knights if you wanted to, but that won't matter for crap if you don't show you've got the attitude to go with that level of skill." No doubt, it would have been seen as pompous for a man like Cedar to speak as such. He was a bar owner, what did he know of combat and knighthood? One would have been surprised to find he knew quite a bit, no doubt thanks to the literary correspondence between him and his late brother. Then there was just what he'd seen from his daily business, the best and worst sides of professional soldiers. As he found, just one could be the best in the field of battle…but an absolutely disaster off it. He shuddered to think his nephew would fall down that path.

Albeit Link was immensely skilled, having practically two life times of experience to draw upon.

That said, he was somewhat worried that experience would begin to grow dull if it wasn't sharpened.

"You know, all this time and I never really bothered to check out what the entry requirements for the knights academy is." Mused the blond Hylian.

"A written exam, short, some questions, and a physical demonstration of martial skill." Cedar answered in a nonchalant tone drawing the teenager's attention. He smirked, "What? You know I've been looking at your future as something beyond a simple bartender. Besides, I always try to keep an ear to the ground, something I believe I've taught you."

"Am I going to be getting scored by judges?" Link asked, half-joking.

"More than likely, yes. Remember, they're looking to see if you'll be an asset to the army, not a liability." Stressed the bar owner looking his charge in the eye. There was no cocky dismissal as one would have expected from someone of Link's age and talent, it was a hidden blessing that Cedar tried not to take for granted. Link himself tried not to take those things for granted either, appreciating these talks that his uncle continued to give him. "You have to show that. I suppose…what I'm trying to say is…well, geez, now that I really give some thought to this, I'm half-tempted to tell you don't do it."

Smirking a little at that, Link reached over and patted his uncle on the shoulder. "It'd pretty much be a wasted effort as at this point, I don't feel like backing out." Hearing that caused Cedar to let out a bark of laughter. According to him, Link sounded most like his father when he spoke like that. Apparently it was a family trait.

Breakfast passed over comfortable conversation. They continued to talk of the coming "admission exam" in the same lax yet serious tone as before. It went without saying that the Axely Family honor was also on the line; funny considering said family line consisted solely of the two Hylians enjoying breakfast together. That number's growth had been a quiet thought in the back of their respective minds, albeit for slightly different reasons. Cedar was in his middle years, one or two gray hairs not too far off. His time had come and gone, his nephew's was coming. If he attained knighthood there was no doubt fame and prestige would be brought to him, and with such things would come the opportunity for marriage and children. He knew without a doubt that Link would attract admirers, the only question was which of them would he choose to put a ring on.

As for Link, he did his best not to think about it most of the time, as he did many things. That didn't stop it from happening. Especially now that he'd reunited with the woman he'd had a crush on for years, whose figure and voice still echoed in his mind. He was no walking a path that was practically parallel to hers. Time would tell how things turned, all he could do was adapt to what came and continue to move forward no matter the obstacle. Such traits he'd heard were what the knights of Hyrule looked for; it was one such skill he had in spades so there was no need to worry on that front.

Once breakfast came to an end both men rose and readied themselves for the walk that would take them through Castle Town into the grounds of the royal castle. Luckily, they had the documentation that would allow them safe passage otherwise, well, Link didn't particularly look forward to spending the morning in the royal dungeons, neither did Cedar. That was another thing he took care to remind Link of-minding himself when around the princess.

"_Now, I know you two had a prior relationship before hand-"_

"_Er, Uncle Cedar, I really wouldn't call it that. I mean…I knew Zelda when she…wasn't Zelda." _

"…_Fair point, but you get the idea." _

As he got ready, Link toyed with the stray possibility that during his demonstration Zelda happened to wonder by and catch sight of him. Would she catch him at his highest or lowest? Deep down, he didn't think it would matter as he felt something would draw her to him. After all, they were both bearers of the Triforce, or at least they were supposed to be.

He looked down at the top of his left hand. By his will, the golden triangle manifested, one portion glowing brighter than the others, which were mere outlines. The moment Impa had made her invitation Link had made a quiet vow to not reveal his Triforce, not if he could help it. Doing so would raise too many questions, and he was in no way ready for that storm, especially from Impa who'd no doubt press him on the details of the future, particularly those pertaining to Zelda's safety. Funny enough, from what he understood, the greatest threat to Zelda's safety had already been neutralized thanks to his little tip years back.

As he and his uncle at last stepped out of the house, the early morning sky turning multiple shades of blue above their heads, Link cast his eyes to the drifting clouds. Slung over his shoulder was a leather-woven carrying bag, one marked with a light green swirling emblem upon it. It was as close to a person coat of arms Link had allowed himself to possess. If all went well then it could end up becoming more, it could become the real thing.

"The start of a new day…" He muttered.

"Thinking about the past?" Inquired his guardian.

"…Yeah, but also the future." Replied the young swordsman walking ahead, his face set. His expression drew its fair share of attention as citizens who'd risen early took note of Link, and the aura he projected. It was one of purpose, like a guided gale that was blowing in a certain direction.

Only a handful knew where that direction lay, and even fewer knew what would transpire once the wind arrived.

* * *

Reading and writing, they were vital skills that one would need to survive in the outside world. Even the Kokiri had realized that in spite of never venturing into said outside world. They still had their own society which demanded such skills. Saria had known that Link wouldn't,_ couldn't _be a complete part of that society; one day he would have to return to the world from which he came. A world that demanded he have some sort of education. How right she was proven when that time finally came.

Link muttered a silent thank you to his unseen yet always protective and loving older-sister-figure as he finished writing down the last of the written answers required for the admissions test. There were those who questioned why knights even had to go through a written exam to qualify for admission, there were surely some examples where such a test wasn't needed. After all, literacy was something only the well-off could afford, and even then, not all would-be-trainees had to go through one.

What made him different was where his letter of recommendation came from. Because of its source he was being put through every sort of test imaginable.

It wasn't often that Princess Zelda's bodyguard dealt out such letters, but when she did the army officers knew to take it seriously. And to take whatever applicant she was vouching for seriously. In some ways, that actually made Link feel proud, happy even.

He and his uncle had arrived by the time the bottom portion of the sun had climbed above the horizon. From a good enough vintage point, it would have seemed the bottom rim was just an inch or so from the horizon. Still, life around Castle Town, and most importantly Hyrule Castle, was kicking into full swing. The guardians that stood before the gates were wide awake and eying up the Axely Family upon catching sight of them. Sucking in a breath, Link held up the two medallions that Impa had presented him. Their eyes rose and they looked to one another.

"Please wait right here for a moment." Said the one on the right unlocking the metallic gate that they stood before then disappearing inside.

"So, you're a new trainee scouted out by the princess' bodyguard?" Jested the other laying his spear over his shoulder. His stance was casual showing that any possibility he could perceive Link or Cedar as enemies was gone.

"Yes, I was told to show up here then present these." He affirmed.

"Hold onto them, especially the soldier medallion. If you pass, think of it as your passport in case anything comes up."

It was a nice piece of advice, more than what Link was expecting when he woke up. Just a minute later and the second guard returned alongside and elderly looking man walking with a cane and with a sword sheathed in his belt. He had a head of fading dark hair and numerous wrinkles along his face, but what caught Link's attention was the scar that ran down his left side cheek, stopping just short of his lip. One look into his harden green eyes and Link knew this man was a retired knight.

"Name?" He immediately shot off.

"Link Axely, I'm here to apply for the Knights of Hyrule Army Corp." Answered the Triforce bearer standing up straight.

Even if it was only for a brief second, Link saw something flash in the old soldier's eyes-recognition. He also seemed to notice that there was someone else beside Link, his uncle. Though his face remained passive, the young Hylian watched his uncle gaze at the old man, who returned his stare. In that moment Link realized something-his uncle and this man knew each other.

_My father._ Thought the teenager. If he had to venture a guess, it was his last name combined with Cedar's appearance. He now had one more reason to push on ahead.

Everything from there flowed like water down a river. There was some talking and paper signing, wavers he believed. Half of those were on the part of his uncle, who had to give his consent as Link's legal guardian. Again, that was one thing that he understood varied on a case by case basis, some trainees didn't have family members to give their permission. That didn't stop more than a few of them from being recruited.

Tests of intelligence came first, measures of his intelligence. Fittingly, the tests took place in what might as well have been a classroom, stone walls and a desk manned by a single proctor who watched Link's every move like a hawk. Such a thing wasn't anything new to Link, so he continued to work as if the man wasn't even there.

Distance to target and what angle one would need to shoot at with a bow, intelligence gathering, weapons usage, classification, poisons classification, and of course just some bear bones questions meant to test how much he knew. Personally, of those things he found the history-related ones to be his favorite. Close to an hour flew by during which Link felt an odd sense of bless that allowed him to work more clearly than he thought possible. Right about now he'd be at the Verdant Wind no doubt dealing with the morning wave of customers. He hoped that the others were handling themselves well in his and his uncle's absence. They had several dozen times before, but when it came to his coworkers, Link couldn't help but be something of a worrywart.

Octavia and the other girls had said it was a cute feature and might net him a good woman one day.

As he handed his papers to the proctor he sat back in his seat and patiently waited.

"And…kid, you've been around the continent, haven't you?" Came his somewhat amused voice.

Link shrugged. "I've done some traveling, picked up a few skills here and there."

"Well, lucky for you, those sorts of skills are what we're looking for, even thought we're at peace now." He casually retorted sitting up right. At a good six-foot-one, he towered over Link's own five-eight. If Link had to venture a guess, he too was a soldier based on the muscular build he possessed beyond his tunic, the sword that hung at his side, and the sharp gaze in which he directed toward Link. Not to mention he was checking each of his answers, only occasionally glancing at an answer sheet for verification.

A minute later and he rose from his seat, telling Link to wait a few minutes until he returned. That's exactly what the blond Hylian did.

There was no doubt in his mind that he passed the written portion of the admissions test. Call it arrogance, call it confidence, whatever it was, Link knew in his heart that he'd cleared the first hurdle. What would come next would most likely be the physical trials, combat trials. Those would be easy for him to overcome as while he may have grown a bit rusty, Link knew that his fighting ability was still top-notched. Something in his gut told him he'd be getting the chance to see how they stacked up against the kingdom's finest in due time.

His instincts were proven right as three minutes later and in came the proctor and the man scar-faced man rom earlier along with a younger woman with slick black hair tied into a pony tail. A pair of green-rimmed glasses adorned her face, behind them shined a pair of analytical blue eyes that fell upon Link. He was being sized up; he was fine with that, instead, Link stared back at her with the full intensity of his gaze. She at first seemed taken back by this, probably because she wasn't expecting him to do so. When she looked to future trainees, she probably expected them to recoil from her, or even try to flirt with her with half-cocked winks and grins. All Link did was stare back at her.

"Link," Spoke the elder drawing his attention away from the woman. "You've impressed us, you passed the written portion of the exam. Now comes the second part, and I do hope you'll be able to contain yourself for this part. The health exam."

The swordsman felt a strange feeling wash over him. "Um, when you say body exam do you mean?"

"Stand up and follow me, and do please, try not to do anything…foolish. I can move with a blade faster than you think." Spoke the woman, looking to him with a mixture of annoyance and slight interest.

In that response, Link had an idea of what had happened in the past, when some foolhardy trainees had attempted to pull something on the medical examiner. Quietly, he wondered if they'd thought to replace the examiners with perhaps older and more…unattractive physicians. Shaking his head, he departed from that line of thinking knowing there were other things he had to worry about. Also, he would have to be ready to explain himself when his clothes went down and the physicians got a look at his body.

He could only pray he wasn't "awarded" a fan club over the next twenty minutes.

* * *

"You know…I expected him to come to us right around this time, fall I mean. It was his favorite season after all."

Cedar had heard that Hyrule Castle had a number of lavish parks and benches for its occupants to sit down in and enjoy the day, or night, when they weren't working. Cedar himself had pondered if he'd ever be so likely as to share that fortune. In all honesty, he didn't really think such a thing would happen, nor did he care if it never came to pass.

As it had, he supposed that was someone else to be grateful for. "Indeed, it was." He replied with a solemn frown on his face.

"Cedar, I'm…I'm sorry for bringing this up. I-"

"Darrell," Softly chided the bar owner giving the older Hylian a sad but kind-hearted smile. It was enough to get him to stop talking and meet his eyes, something he'd been avoiding since they sat down to have tea together. "It's been years and I've…I've made peace with Erik's death, he…wouldn't want me claiming up every time he's mentioned, and he certainly wouldn't want me trying to hold Link back from doing what he was meant to do because I'm scared of losing him to. He'd want me encouraging him, and telling him to come back home alive." Explained the male brunette before lifting the tea cup up to his mouth for a sip. The heat of the seasoned drink felt like a refreshing recharge.

The old soldier quietly leaned back into his sit, a smile of his own forming along his face. This was the Cedar Axely that he remembered from all those years, nearly thirty years if he remembered right. Much had spoken of the Axely Brothers, namely that both men could enter into the knighthood; only one went while the other chose a more humbler path. There had been some talk that Cedar feared being overshadowed by his brother, who took to the life of a soldier all too well. Darrell knew such talk to be empty and hollow as he knew Cedar better than most did, perhaps just a tad better than his own nephew. Cedar Axely was a man who one could say defined calmness and understanding.

"So, out of curiosity, how much pushing did you have to give Link to accept Impa's invitation?" Jokingly asked the veteran warrior lacing his fingers together.

Cedar gave his old friend a curt smile. "Years if you want me to be honest." The surprise that spread across Darrell's face was all too worth it. "You're probably thinking he's taking after his mother, but in all honesty…Link's just been…hesitant about going into the army."

"Nervousness? Does he know of his father's record?"

"Some of it," Conceded the scar-faced tavern owner. He was being careful with his words as revealing too much of the truth would cause too much of a stir, even with an old associate like Darrell. His nephew had told him of his adventures through time, how he'd been chosen by the Golden Goddesses to face down evil that the world hadn't seen in centuries, and thankfully so. Such a fate had left its mark on him, and such trauma had deeply imprinted itself into his psyche. Occupying almost half of his mind, his nightmares, was the horrid future that had been wrought with the King of the Gerudo seizing power. That was what Link had been trying to run from, and being in the army had strengthened those nightmares in ways Link had been somewhat cryptic to explain. Cedar never pressed him on the details as he knew his nephew was still struggling to confront his past demons. So too was he.

"If I may, to be given a Sheikah medallion means that he surely did something to impress Impa herself."

"Oh, he did. He fought her to a near draw." Openly admitted the bar owner casually sipping his tea while his associate's eyes widened into saucers. Behind his tea cup, Cedar smirked. "Hm, I take it that little detail was left out?"

"Among several others!" He shouted looking to his friend with a half-annoyed look. "Now I know he's Erik's son, but to fight with Impa, and to an apparent draw?!" While Cedar did like to occasionally stretch the truth for humorous reasons, he stretched it too far or outright lied. Still, his words were a tad hard to believe; the more Darrell looked to him the more he slowly began to realize that they might have been true. Once the realization truly set in, he leaned back into his chair. "So…there is a possibility that the son may surpass the father." Slowly, a sorrowful smile spread across the war veteran's face before he shut his eyes, perhaps in prayer and respect for his old comrade. "I wish Erik were still with us, that he could see Link now."

"You and me both, but not just him…Julianne as well." His hands fell atop the smooth marble table that separated the two men. Cedar's fingers slowly closed in, forming a tight fist against the marble surface. A hand reached over and fell atop of his, easing the rush of pain and anger and loss that was quickly rushing through the male brunette. He was thankfully for it. "They both would be proud of him."

"Quite so, and I believe they would also be proud of you." Darrell offered giving the other man cause to raise his head. He smiled at him, "Give yourself some credit, you've done a good job in raising him from what I can see."

"You've only known the boy for less than an hour at best." Half-argued the brown-haired Hylian.

The salt and pepper-haired veteran smirked. "I like to think my eyes are still good at reading, no probably not as good as Impa's. On this though, we most definitely agree that the boy's a golden egg." Placing his now empty tea cup down, Darrel stood up, a grin forming on his face. "I'm eager to go see what he can do with a blade in hand."

Cedar blinked at him. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now." Affirmed the older male. "I believe the medical examination should be concluded right about now meaning they've moved onto the combat trials." Darrell's lips curved into a grin at the thought of watching the young blond give a physical demonstration of his fighting ability, the same fighting ability that supposedly impressed the head of the Sheikah Clan. It'd been a while since he'd gotten to see such a demonstration, perhaps this day would be when that dry spell was broken. "I am curious though, does the boy have a combat preference? I have little doubt in my mind that he's capable with a sword, but I feel there's more to him than just that."

Cedar smirked, then threw back his head in laughter. "Oh, trust me, my nephew's more than just a sword hand, though I'll tell you this, that's pretty fast and strong. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised when you finally see him in action."

* * *

_**THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! **_

In the back of his mind, Link wondered how many arrows would he be allotted once he joined the knights. He knew the standard Hyrulean quiver was made to hold close to thirty arrows, give or take. The quivers he'd worn in the past were certainly structured that way, and Link was rather grateful for the quantity. He could always take up the option of crafting his own arrows as he'd learned the art well, amongst several others.

Perhaps later on after everything was over, he could offer to replace all the arrows he'd used up on this obstacle course he was currently progressing through. For him, it was less of an obstacle course and more a leisure stroll on account of his archery ability.

In this familiar scenery, his old self, his warrior self, returned in full force, taking root inside of him. A target came up and his mind responded in an instant, reading everything around him including the target itself: its positioning, where the bullseye was, and the distance between it and him. His arms rose, an arrow was notched, then released. He moved on without even looking back, his trained ears hearing the audible _thunk _that came with a successful shot. Link was confident that he'd eat the bullseye dead on eliminating any further need to look back.

He jumped and ran, slid and stopped, his eyes ever narrowed and his ears always open. The wooden mechanisms that raised the targets always creaked a bit whenever the targeting boards went up. That further helped him ascertain where his latest target was. After that, it became the same process-notch an arrow, fire, move on, and repeat. The only alteration came was when he noticed that some targeting boards had been emblazed with the Triforce logo; Link knew what it meant and held his bow, moving on and looking for a none marked target. As soon as he found it, the arrow was allowed to let fly.

Above his head, the mid-day sun casually beat down, warm rays causing a thin layer of sweat to form along Link's skin. He relished in the heat and the feel of the forming moisture, in a way it kept him focused which was what he needed to be as he knew he was nearing the end of this obstacle course. Little over a quarter mile with a bow and quiver full of arrows, not practice arrows, but real sharpened arrows that could pierce a man's flesh and potentially end his life. Had he been firing at real targets then Link would have without a doubt left a trail of corpses in his wake, the observers watching him no doubt thought that as well.

Not once did he look back, even though looking back was something he'd grown used to doing for practical and emotional reasons.

This trait served him well for if he had looked back, he would have been distracted. Link's pointy ears twitched. Eyes glue straight ahead, he saw the sudden arrow coming at him in near slow motion. If he didn't fast, he'd get hit. So he acted fast, he countered the oncoming arrow with his own.

_**THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! **_

He could see his opponent, a phantasmal soldier with an iron bow similar to his own. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but he remembered his uncle's words and kept a level head. More arrows came as he slid behind cover. There he stayed for a few seconds during which there came an unexpected silence. As he readied himself to move, Link felt the air tense. Knowing the feeling as well as hearing the familiar swirl of magically-empowered wind, he rolled to the right. A second slower and he would have had a magically-enhanced arrows protruding from his chest.

Coming out of the roll, he broke off into a spring, his boots pounding against the green-laced stone oath that put him on a collision course with the phantom soldier directly ahead of him. A pair of ghostly yellow eyes met his sharpened blue ones. Yet another arrow was notched, this one cackling with traces of magical energy. Knowing what to do, Link acted faster, firing his own mundane arrow; its target was the bow of his opponent.

Link let his arrow fly first, giving him just a second advantage over his target. The blow hit right on target, disorienting the phantasmal soldier causing it to misfire. An explosion of rock and grass erupted from Link's right as he dashed toward the phantom. He wasn't notching an arrow, he was rearing back his bow like it were a sword or club. With a deep growl, he swung it forward once he was within striking range. Expectedly, the phantom vanished in a haze of blue and white-colored smoke. Coming to a stop, his breathing slightly hard, Link looked ahead to the pedestal before him, a stone altar that lay surrounded by a shattered circle of columns. Scouring the surrounding area, he made his way up the small hilltop to the altar.

Scooping up the medallion atop the pedestal, he patiently waited. A beam of light surrounded him; shutting his eyes, he allowed the spell to move him across miles, back to where he'd came from.

He breathed out finding himself back in the stone floored courtyard, and his audience was still there waiting for him. A collection of army officers and castle officials had gathered to watch him. If Link had to guess, word must have spread of where his "letter of recommendation" came from. That was enough to arouse their curiosity. They were applauding him even before he could even finish taking a bow of respect.

When he rose, he scoured the crowd, a ping of disappointment going off within him. It wasn't like he expected Zelda to be amongst them, it simply wasn't her style. What saddened him was the complete lack of her presence at all. Quickly, he tried to shake the disappointment off, unlike him, she had actually duties to perform, duties that no doubt took top demand. Besides, if he passed or failed word would surely reach her ears eventually. He felt like he'd done everything he could to ensure that the news was the former instead of the latter.

At least his Uncle Cedar had been allowed to watch. He too was clapping and smiling, seeing him Link felt his lips tick upwards. It was only natural that his approval meant a tad more than the rest of these strangers who didn't know the true him.

A lone figured stepped forward. "I must say, I didn't quite believe the hype when I first heard it, but now I know how wrong I was. It appears Impa hasn't lost her touch after all." As with many others, he towered over Link at an impressive six-feet two or perhaps even three, with a muscular build to match. Said build was well-accented by the skin-tight sleeveless tunic he wore over his upper body. Tied around his strong and length arms were a series of bandages that if Link had to guess concealed a number of scars. Glancing down at his waist, he immediately recognized the emblem that shined on his belt buckle. "All that said, I do believe you have had it easy up until now."

Practically everyone knew what was coming next as evident by their slow backing away from the pair. The courtyard was spacious enough for a battle to break out, and indeed one was about to. Quietly readying himself, Link answered the senior knight's statement. "Sir Artegal I do believe the real trial is about to start now?"

The blond knight smirked and held out his hand, a magical circle appearing in his palm, a second later and a sheathed sword was held in hand then tossed to Link. He immediately recognized it to be a standard-issue Hyrulean sword used by the rank and file knights of Hyrule. Still, compared to the somewhat stylized sword that hung by the legendary knight's hip, it was lacking. Such a thing was to be expected as the man whom it was attached to had spent almost a good twenty-plus years in the army, earning quite a reputation. On and off it to be precise.

Sir Artegal Mac Umaill, one of the most celebrated warriors in all of Hyrule, including being the leader of his own special unit, the White Wolf Brigade. Claimed by some to be the strongest warrior in all the land, and he was looking to Link with a grin that showed he acknowledged that title may just be disputed. "Indeed, it does, you have insight as well as skill!"

Quick as a flash of lightning, the swords were unsheathed and clashing against each other, the metallic ringing echoing through the air. Artegal had a brimming smile on his face, Link had a growing one on his. It grew even more as he withdrew to parry his opponent's next swing. His arms groaned just a little, a testament to the force being put into the attack aimed at him. When he saw his chance, he responded in kind, combining speed and power in a series of attacks that forced the older blond to take just a single step back. At first, shock laced his emerald-green eyes, then it gave way to excitement as he swiftly twirled out of the way of the oncoming vertical slash, moving into Link's supposed blind spot. He took a horizontal swing at the teenager, his attack was blocked, surprising the spectators who were expecting a quick end to the scuffle.

Their shock continued as Link fended off the opposing sword and rushed forward, crouched and in a position for a rising slash. Artegal saw the attack coming and jumped back, just out of reach of the young warrior's reach, but close enough that as soon as an opening presented itself, he was able to lunge forward, his broadsword coming down at a diagonal angle. Link's response was swift and direct, spreading his feet apart, he spun in reverse rotation, his steel blade rising just in time to meet the oncoming attack. Both men felt their arms momentarily ring from the impact, it was merely a momentary setback as they were back at it.

By this point, both of them were grinning like fools.

Though age might have separated them, at heart Link and Artegal were the same-they were both warriors, and warriors lived for moments like this, the heat of battle. It was were they were able to find the flame of life burning brightest.

"By the goddess…"

"The boy's truly doing it! He's keeping up with Arte!"

"He's lasted far longer than some of the other recruits, even some of us!"

"Inconceivable! Where did this child learn how to fight like that?!"

Side by side, Durrell and Cedar exchanged looks with one another. One of them was grinning like a fox while the other was trying to ascertain rather or not what he was seeing was real or an illusion. As the ringing in his ears grew, so too did his curiosity until it became a tad more than he could bear.

"Cedar, where did the boy learn how to fight like that?" Finally spoke the veteran warrior. "He's no mere trainee, and this isn't just natural talent! What I'm seeing is refinement! Skill! He has seen actual combat before!"

_You don't know the half of it, none of you do. _Somberly thought the male brunette. In another time, all of them were dead, the best and brightest of the knights of Hyrule leaving his nephew to take up the mantle and reclaim the kingdom from an evil far greater than any of them could have imagined. That ordeal had forced Link to grow from a rookie into a warrior. Even after that threat had passed, Cedar learned it was only the first in what would be a long line of adventures and ordeals that would further hone the young Hylian's skills. As he was seeing, while those skills may have grown a little slack, they had in no way gone completely stale.

And from this point onward, they would only be sharpened.

Sparks flew as Link was forced back, his attempted overhead spinning slash a failure, though he liked to think it certainly made him look good. He supposed he wasn't quite as good at the move as he liked to think he was. Coming down in a crouch, he saw Artegal's sword raised and poised in a thrusting position. Around him was a condensation of magical energy, nowhere was it stronger than around his sword. Realizing what was coming, Link quickly slammed his right fist into the ground, a short chant flying from his lips.

From all sides they came through ripples in the air itself. Sharpen sword tips that would have left him a skewered mess on the ground had he not acted to protect himself. Flames burst from the orange-red barrier that surrounded him. A few short seconds passed after which the magically manifested swords burst into blazing heaps of slag. Across from him, Artegal stumbled backward, his own weapon glowing orange as evidence that the magical feedback had hit home. Seeing his window of time, Link took off in a dash, like a wolf seeking its prey.

The flaming barrier of Din's Protection condensed around his sword infusing the weapon with the most chaotic of the four classical elements. Eyes narrowed, he swung his flaming sword once he was within striking distance, the act momentarily catching his opponent off-guard. Still, he managed to defend himself. They were now deadlocked, a position that Link had been expecting. Bracing himself, he looked to the point of contact between their two weapons. Link knew without a doubt that the baseline sword wouldn't hold up against what he had in mind, but he'd made do with broken and subpar weapons before, and he could do so again.

Only at the last second did Artegal realize what was about to happen, but by then it was too late.

_Boom! _

Faces and arms went up as protection from the sudden explosion. None of the assembled officers and observers had seen such a tactic before, not from supposedly green-applicants who were likely getting their first real taste of a battle. That wasn't the case for Link as to him, this was merely another in a lifetime already marked by it.

Artegal fell back, his vision temporarily impaired and his sword planted several feet from him, curtsy of the surprise tactic employed by this young man.

Across from them, the top half of Link's own sword implanted itself in the ground, still red from the explosive burst. The other half was still held fast in Link's hand, and going straight for Artegal's chest.

Sensing the attack coming, the older warrior channeled magical energy into his fists, forming magical circles around them. Swinging his left, he knocked the attack off its intended path, then struck at the young Hylian with his right. He dodged it, and dodged the next series of punches that would have no doubt left him lying on his backside in pain, or passed out. Realizing his agility made him a challenge, Artegal fell back, both fists clapped together side by side. The magical circles joined into one, glowing bright blue before a bolt of raw energy was launched from his knuckles aimed straight at Link.

He could have cast another protection spell, but Link was trying to be frugal with his magical energy. So he merely performed another well-timed dodge while running towards his target. Several more shots came his way forcing him to dodge, and parry, with his broken stump of a sword.

Eyebrows rose in awe at seeing the magical blasts deflected with a broken sword. Looking closer, Artegal saw the thin current of magical energy running through the blade. _Impa, you did indeed find something special when you were out! It just proves my point that you must get out more often! _Mirroring the young man now charging him, Artegal dropped to a knee and slammed his fist into the ground sending a wave of elemental energy ripping across the ground. It served its purpose in disrupting the former adventurer, but only for a moment as he apparently had a trick up his sleeve.

Link jumped, _high _he looked as if he'd been shot launched from a catapult or leaped from a ledge, high as he was and safe from the shaking ground that would have tripped him up and left him vulnerable to attack. Sheathing his sword, he notched not one arrow, but three, all of which glowed with magical energy-two alit by flames and the third by icy energy. Artegeal's eyes widened as he raised his hands and let loose several bolts of energy. Link fired off the ice arrow, watching as it exploded into a sub-zero cloud that flash-froze the rest of the energy blasts. They lost their momentum thus fell to the ground, shattering on impact. Then came the fire arrows.

_Boom! Boom! _

His barrier protected him, but cracks formed when the soon-to-be trainee came down upon it, stabbing at it with his broken stump of a sword. Artegal was further surprised as few warriors would attempt to come at him with such a pathetic weapon, or half a weapon. In that instant, Link showed that he wasn't merely some hot-shot picked from off the streets.

It was at that moment those watching began to wonder if this strange youngster had instead been poached from some foreign battlefield. That was the only place such skills could have been cultivated.

Swirls of blue and golden light condensed around the broken tip which was stabbing into the barrier. Mere seconds later and the barrier shattered, its caster stumbling backward in wide-eyed shock as he came face to face with a blade made out of condenses magical energy.

_**SLISH! **_

Rather than anger or horror at the feel of his flesh being cut…Artegal felt only excitement, a pulse-pounding joy that had his heart pumping blood through his body at the speed of lightning. His joyous emerald eyes found Link's focused blue; his right hand stretched out, magical energy condensing into a blade upon which his fingers seized on the hilt. Just as steel met steel, so too did magical energy, arcs of blue and white lightning exploding from the collision.

It didn't last long as Link's blade fizzled and cackled, a death cry from a fire moments from dying. Gnashing his teeth, Link poured his power into his weapon stump, the condensed blade erupted into a raging fire that momentarily overwhelmed the opposition. Link saw his chance, and he took it.

So too did Artegal.

An uppercut and a jab, basic moves that could, when used right, end a match.

The uppercut of the sixteen-year-old collided just as the left-hand jab of the forty-one-year-old. Both men felt the impact of the other's attack, which also sent them flying in their respective directions, backward and upward. Link rolled across the ground while Artegal felt his feet leave the ground, how far up he went he couldn't tell, but he knew one thing-his jaw hurt like hell.

He came down on his feet thought, poised and ready, his sword flying back into his hand while Link had only his bow and quiver. Reaching into his quiver, he fired off several arrows; they were all cut in two by the pressurized slashes from his opponent's weapons. Now he was on the offensive, charging him with a gleaming sword that could cut him from shoulder to hip. Several more pressurized slashes came his way. Link poured his remaining energy into his arrows, which he let loose to counter the oncoming attacks. Explosions of air and light lit up the courtyard, yet the charging knight kept on going, coming at Link with all that he had.

So Link took aim at the ground in front of him. Artegal responded by making a great leap forward. The teenager responded by rolling ahead, avoiding the attack. In the span of a second, Artegal twisted and turned, a crescent-shaped mass of pressurized air flying from his sword. Link threw his hands up, already knowing he wouldn't be able to evade in time.

Forced back by the impact, blood dripped from his forehead and arms, yet his eyes remained hardened and focused. That was the fact that the spectators took note of, no cries of pain or disbelief, only a maintaining of the iron-willed determination they had seen earlier.

Another blast came. Flying past it was a flash of silvery-white, the remains of Link's sword. Gnashing his teeth, he funneled his straight into the stump of a weapon, causing a flash of bluish-white to spark at the broken tip. It proved to be strong enough to countering the oncoming attack. He stood up, alight by gales of wind and light.

Artegal came charging back at him, Link stood ready in response, nothing but a broken sword and bow and half-empty quiver for weaponry. It was a fight that no doubt would have been one for the records.

But it was for another day.

A jagged line of spikes erupted from the space between the two Hylians causing them to stop dead in their tracks.

"Now, now, I think that's enough for one evening, especially since Link's already passed the test."

"What?!" Barked the teenager turning to face the Sheikah, who just materialized out of a haze of shadows and leaves. "You mean I already passed and I…"Slowly, he turned to face Artegal, who'd sheathed his sword and was doing his best to look away from the young warrior. "Just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Well, what do you expect of me? It's not often Impa vouches for potential recruits, I personally wanted to see what you were made of!" Defended the legendary knight, a laugh escaping his lips. It was echoed by the chuckling and laughter of others, namely those who'd been watching on the sidelines. "Besides, surely you wished to do something more than just spend all afternoon firing at a few practice dummies, did you not?"

Link grinned. "Guilty." The grin fell as he turned his gaze toward Impa, who only briefly returned the optical contact. Maybe she had been watching him, if so, he'd failed to sense her even though he'd had all of his senses turned up to their max. At least until the physical demonstrations started and he was forced to divert all his mental power in showing his sword, archery, and athletic ability. She could have slipped into the area at any point during all of that and he never would have noticed. Still, a part of him felt jubilant in knowing that she had been watching him, more so than anyone else save his uncle.

Impa coughed causing everyone to quiet down and begin assembling. Link stood with his uncle, who double-checked him to ensure that he was alright. For such an intense scuffle, he'd walked away remarkably well, granted if the fight had gone on that probably wouldn't have been the cast. Still, he could take pride in knowing he'd managed to land two solid blows on one of Hyrule's greatest knights. Something that he could tell was still fresh in the minds of the observers as they periodically glanced to Artegal, specifically the clean cut along his chest as if they weren't sure it was real. It was real alright, the warrior noble rubbed the blood from his cheeks and offered to show it to them with a smirk.

_Yeah, news of this is definitely going to spread. _Link already knew when he joined the rest of the other recruits the story of him wounding, albeit small, such an advanced fighter would make him the shiny object everyone wanted to get a look at. That wasn't entirely what Link wanted, but he'd make do if that's what it came to. He'd still just be another trainee, another soldier in a big army serving a royal family he'd had very little contact with. There was a brief thought as to how that would change in the future, especially once he really started distinguishing himself. Oh, and someone noticed the Triforce on his left-hand hand.

"Link?"

"Hm?"

"Zoning out already before you're even in a classroom, that does not inspire much confidence in me as a teacher." Sounded off the Sheikah with a shake of the head.

Link was surprised, but for an entirely different reason. "You…teach?" He asked in a flabbergasted voice. It wasn't as absurd as it sounded as he did know that Impa had taught Zelda what she needed to survive in the future. However, Link thought such lessons were reserved for the princess and no one else.

He was proven quite wrong as the Sheikah warrior crossed her arms in a show of authority. "As the army's duty is to protect not just the princess but the kingdom, I see it as my duty to instruct them in doing so. As a member of that same army, I will be instruct you in the arts of combat, is that clear?"

Suddenly, his spirit perked up. "Yes ma'am." How he managed to keep from grinning he'll never know, or perhaps he did grin as he heard his uncle chuckle beside him. Only he knew what was _really _running through the teenager's head as he stared straight ahead into the blood-colored eyes of the princess' devoted protector.

Link was quite happy to know that he'd be given further opportunities to stare into her striking crimson orbs, that was when he was flirting with death.

For what felt like the first time all day, he well and truly looked forward towards the future.

Unknown to him, he wasn't the only one.

_I suppose I can now consider you one of my charges…Link. I do hope that you don't disappoint me. _Thought the Sheik, a thin smile tugging at her lips. She had faith that Link would pass his qualification exams, and that faith had been justly rewarded as she'd hoped. Now, the mysterious blond Hylian would be ever close to her; Impa couldn't quite put her finger on why that thought excited her, but it did. Link Hearst Axely was a sword-swinging mass of mysteries that had seemingly crossed paths with hers.

Impa looked forward to unraveling those mysteries as she molded the young lad into a proper soldier, into a knight.

* * *

**Took me a bit longer to get this chapter out (had to make some minor revisions to the first chapter), but I'm glad I made it before the start of the new year. I think it's safe to say that 2019 has been a year with its ups and downs, for everyone. For me, it was certainly a year that had both, though September onward I can say things improved on a personal note. I'd like to think this year was where I got more comfortable in writing for the Legend of Zelda to the point I was able to even really start this story, that and with the general plot supplied by a friend. **

**While I personally see Link as being more of a straight-forward fighter, I'm willing to lend him some magical capabilities in my writing. Since this is Link post OoT and MM he's picked up some knowledge with the mystic arts, but don't expect him to be competing in any magic duels and winning, at least not yet. How much magical capability does Impa? What will she teach Link? I'm afraid you all will have to wait until next year for that, when this story continues and Link gets to meet his classmates…and sees what happens when you make an impression on a bunch of up in-coming knights. In other words, fun times ahead! **

**Until then, and Happy New Years, readers! **


	4. Chapter 4-Going on My Way

**Greetings, everyone! So far the new year's been…well, quite a ride is the best way I'd put it. Last chapter I ended things on a good enough note, but here's where things start to pick up. I'll save the rest of the commentary for afterwards, enjoy the first chapter of 2020! **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4-Going on My Way**_

It had been quite a day, perhaps the most adventurous day Cedar Axely had had in who knew how long. What was ironic was the fact that he hadn't really done much except sit, drink, and reminisce about the past. That past was shaping up to be similar yet a contrast to the present, the future he had steadily seen unfold before him. Without a doubt, his nephew was feeling something similar, he could see it on Link's face as they left Hyrule Castle and took a leisure walk through Castle Town. It wouldn't have been off base to say that it was also a bit of a cooldown walk.

In truth, Link needed it more than Cedar then, yet his nerves were just as supercharged as his nephew's. He wasn't blind to what had just transpired, what had _truly _transpired in the last few hours. From the sidelines, he'd watched his nephew take the first steps to taking his future title as a hero.

Also, the first steps in a long and potentially dark path that would leave him face to face with evil and death. He'd already seen both, at far too young an age. Now, however, he would be facing such horrors in the name of his homeland and his countrymen. He'd be a soldier, not just a lone warrior. Cedar's gut lurched as even then, he knew at heart Link's expectational abilities, the golden triangle on his left hand, would put up a special kind of wall around him. There would be some duties left to him, some battles only he could fight. All the bar owner could do was pray that his blonde-haired charge didn't have to clash against the supposed king of the Gerudo, not in this lifetime at least. Last he'd heard, the male Gerudo had been executed for his attempted coup, as well as several other crimes that were brought to light thanks to his nephew's machinations. Just the mere thought of it all was enough to bring a smile to his face.

But it was also a smile that was laced with worry and belayed what he was feeling deep down.

His nephew wasn't blind to those swirling feels. Gently, he nudged the older Hylian. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, I'm not going to just forget about you and everyone else. Even if my life does get pretty hectic."

There was a chuckle from the male brunette, one that was happily echoed by his teenage charge. "Good to know, but I'd like it if you could come visit us. Preferable with both arms and legs still attached."

"I'll see what I can do. Heh, pretty sure you know how…wild the life of a knight of Hyrule." Mused the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. He knew what he was talking about, primarily because during his future one-man war against Ganondorf, he met several former knights. Impa herself had given him some rather informative history lessons on the country's most prominent military force. It was a mix of good and bad, especially some at times very nasty bad.

He could see on his uncle's face that he was thinking the same thing. While he hadn't been in Hyrule at the time of the last war, the war that had claimed his brother's life, and ultimately that of his sister-in-law's. What he heard regarding it was horrid enough. Cedar never really liked fighting, at least not the sort that a knight's life called for. It was one reason why he'd never gone into knighthood unlike his brother, and now his nephew. They both had the stomach for it, they both had the willingness to see it through and the strength not to lose themselves. But that didn't make watching them go any easier. It never was, and something told Cedar it would only get harder from this point on.

Link was his last living family, if he lost him, it'd be a blow that the seasoned bar owner might never recover from. Yet, it was all a risk that he knew had to be taken.

Sunset had bathed the city in a flame-like glow bringing with it the first makings of the nightlife. Uncle and nephew had what was at best a few hours to themselves. "Link, you remember what the life expectancy of knights are, I don't think I need to remind you of it. Or what sort of heckling you'll get because of their reputation." Added the bar owner with a chuckle. Had he been in the presence of someone a bit more…uptight, he'd have gone socked in the face, and maybe even kicked in the gut.

Luckily, he was beside his nephew, who merely laughed in amusement. And agreement with his words. "Hey, I'm part of the new crop! Maybe my generation will be the one that helps gets the knights' reputation back to where it's supposed to be." He could still vividly recall some of the Knights of Hyrule, especially the…less than flattering ones. Specifically, when he'd leap-frogged seven years into the future and Hyrule was under the dystopic rule of a power mad tyrant. On paper, the knights and indeed, the entire army, was supposed to stop such things from every happening. In hindsight, considering what they were up against, perhaps a pass could have been given.

Cedar whistled in amusement. "Well, you'll have your work cut out for you. Pretty sure some young recruits think the same thing. How far they get, I can't and won't say as it's not my place to do so. Still, unlike the rest of them, you have divine blessing on your side." There was a pause as the two male Hylians looked to each other. Having spent four years under him, Link had come to note how perspective his uncle was, and when he was keeping some thoughts to himself. He told him through certain looks to let those thoughts out in words, no matter how harsh they might have sounded. "The fact that you still have it…even after Ganondorf's been executed."

Holding up his hand, the blond ran his right hand over his left. "This world's evils didn't end with Ganondorf, even if he styled himself as the 'King of Evil'. There's always another foe out there." Spoke the teenager and new recruit to the Hyrule army. A hand fell on his shoulder causing him to stop and look to his guardian.

At times like this, Link was reminded that while he was "seasoned", so too was his uncle. Many had noted that trait was a clue to their blood relation. Link was just happy that he could understand where he was coming from because of his past trials and tribulations. "Just remember," Cedar began with a tender smile that Link always found comfort in, the kind of comfort that a child could find in a trusted parental figure. "You won't be alone. No matter big the obstacle, you don't have to face it alone. Even if they're not physically with you, the people you love are still there with you in spirit." To drive the point home, the bar owner moved his hand from the blonde's shoulder down to his chest, where his fingers closed into a light fist. Link laughed and nodded in understanding of his uncle's words, having almost quite literally taken them to heart.

Their silent walk continued, taking them through the town. Link and Cedar had a faint idea of where their journey would take them. It was almost as if they were being guided to it by the gods themselves. Of course, they could have broken off course and gone somewhere else, perhaps the park where the Hylian and Sheikah had their short but intense battle in the dead of night. Maybe after they'd gone to their preset destination they'd stop by there, just to see how many people had come by to marvel at the little destruction that the swordsman and ninja had let behind in their wake. From this moment onward, such marks would hopefully be contained to the royal training grounds, which were made to take such punishment.

The sun sank lower and lower into the horizon, it created for an ideal setting for the Axely Family to visit the Temple of Time. It was the time of twilight, which made the temple's already grand structure seem nearly ethereal.

Link knew better than most that the temple wasn't just pretty-looking. He remembered the first time that he'd come to the temple as a ten-year-old kid, all those long years ago. Again, it felt like it was another life time ago; it might as well have been. Coming to the temple, he'd never seen anything like it. Hell, he'd never seen anything like shops, taverns, churches, and all sorts of other things that were common place in ordinary towns and villages. Still, the Temple of Time had a certain aura about it, a pulse that drew him there even with the instructions that he'd been given. He'd felt a slight throbbing in his left hand, a clue as to what the future held in store for him.

Now, as he and his uncle stood before that same temple, Link could have sworn he felt that same throbbing. Or maybe it was just his imagination. Was there another great evil on the horizon? Was that the reason his path and Impa's had crossed now of all times? Link wasn't sure why, but the possibility of such a thing being true created a spark of anger within him. The anger continued to crackle as he and Cedar stepped inside. Near immediately, they were blasted by an unseen choir that rung in their ears. It took Link a second to realize it was an organ playing. They weren't alone, not at this time of the evening. It was the later afternoon so of course there were some people there. Over the years, a habit had developed of visiting the Temple of Time at certain intervals of the day, such as dawn, dusk, midnight, and noon itself. Link and Cedar themselves had done so a few times just for the hell of it.

Neither of them were intensely religious, which was surprising and not-so-surprising in Link's case. He knew for a fact that the powers that the common folk prayed to existed.

However, they were rather fickle and oddball in their response to the people's prayers, sometimes more so than he liked, and at other times enough for him to voice his protest. Would he have to keep his tongue in check while he was in the army? Should some of his deepest secrets ever come out?

Those were just some of the questions that swirled in his head as he took a seat beside his uncle in the stands. Not counting the two of them, there were actually close to twenty people in the massive temple, which also included the choir singing and playing for those who'd assembled there this evening. Some were praying, though Link had a gut feeling not all of the prayers were being directed toward the goddesses.

"I know I'm going to sound repetitive saying this…but, please, be careful, alright?" Spoke the brown-haired Hylian catching his attention. He looked forward, to the statue of the Triforce that stood at the forefront of the temple.

Smiling at him, it was the younger male's turn to lay his hand on the shoulder. "I'll do my best, but you know how trouble seems to follow me around."

"Comes with the territory I believe." Cedar laughed before turning his eyes forward again. "Any powers you can tap into to keep yourself alive, do so, alright? I know you're like your father in having your warrior's pride-"

"But pride will only take you so far, and it'll only cover so much." Spoke the teenager.

"Now you sound like your mother." Chuckled the bar owner. "She was always the steady hand, and you need to remember to be that, especially if you end up with a rowdy bunch. You also need to take care that you have someone like that around you as well."

"Aren't I always the steady hand?" Jabbed the teenager crossing his arms and somewhat proving the older man's point, as well as getting a laugh out of him. "Still, I get what you mean. I'll look after out for myself while trying to do the same for the knuckleheads I'll no doubt be around."

"Just remember, you don't have anything to prove to them, alright?" The words came with a subtle heaviness that Link had grown used to hearing from his uncle. Amongst all the words of wisdom that his uncle Cedar had spoken, those were perhaps the strongest. Link's gaze was directed down to the ground, his fingers subconsciously tightening. Cedar heaved out a sight. "The further up in the ranks you go…the more…insidious things will become. Some other 'golden' advice I can give you is don't become involved with politics, of course, that might mean distancing yourself from the princess as well."

"You're going on like there's a chance our paths will cross." Link mused.

There was a hardness in Cedar's caramel-colored eyes. "They will." The words were delivered with the firm declaration that would have made a cleric proud. "You bear one of the golden triangles on your hand, as does she. Somehow…someone…your fates will intersect." A break in his serious demeanor came, Link was all for it. "Granted, I have no idea what that'll be as. Suppose that part will be up to you. You are the son of a knight so I suppose you'll have that leg to stand on."

"I won't need to." Answered the sixteen-year-old, keeping his innermost feelings guarded behind a wall his uncle chose not to pick at. It wasn't Zelda whom he thought of, it never had been, even though that's the answer that many likely would have jumped to. "I'm still on the fence of rather or not she'll even remember me. It wasn't like I kept in touch with her. All I did was tip her off to Ganondorf and that's it."

"You never know though." Gently shot back the older male. "Moments like that, they cause names and faces to stick in your mind. Surely you can attest to that, right?" The look on Link's face told Cedar he'd hit the mark. "Now look, I don't wanna jinx anything, but Ganondorf's executed, and I highly doubt he's coming back. Or at least I hope he isn't."

"The only weapon that can put him down is behind that wall. Which I could open any time I want to." It wasn't a joke. Hidden away from the eyes of the public, and even a good number of the upper ranks of the kingdom, the Master Sword lay in its pedestal within the inner sanctum of the Temple of Time, the same temple he and his uncle now sat in. It was a closely guarded secret where the Master Sword lay. He'd found that there were a number of false resting places, including one being a graveyard for warriors, to mislead those who might have sought the weapon's power. Technically, the Master Sword could only be wielded by the chosen, him, but it was a case of better safe than sorry. As he'd learned from Impa, that was just one of the many reasons why the Master Sword had been stored away in the inner chamber. "Uncle Cedar,"

"It'll find its way back into your hands, though I pray it'll be for ceremonial purposes." The following laugh told Link that he didn't believe his own words. Again, all either of them could hope was that the sword wasn't wielded against a resurgent King of Evil and his armies. "Even though the future you survived is likely no longer valid, use what you can. Heh, I'm giving you all of this advice, yet I have little idea how much any of it will actually be of any help." The male brunette said.

Link laughed. "Since it's parental advice, I'm sure it'll come in some handy." Dropping a hand the older man's shoulder, the blond stood up. "Come on, let's head back and tell everyone the news."

"And party." Cedar chuckled standing up as well. The currently playing sympathy reached its zenith. It was a temporary farewell.

He stilled possessed the three Spirit Stones, a strange carryover from his time-traveling adventures. Yet another proof of what was, what had happened. Any time he wished, he could bring them all together and use them to open the Chamber of Time thus reclaim the Master Sword.

Throughout the five years that he'd lived in Castle Town, Link had wrestled with the temptation to sneak into the Temple of Time, unlock the final door and step inside. He had mixed feelings about the innermost chamber, the Chamber of Time. It was there he'd moved between the present and the future. Time after time, he'd look down at his sword hand and flex his fingers, remembering the almost familiar feel of the Master Sword. Sometimes, the urge grew strong, but with it came a wave of dread. The sword was also linked to what had undoubtedly been the most terrifying moments of his life. Moments that kept him lying awake in both the middle of the night and paralyzed him in the day, especially when reminded of those dramatic and dangerous times.

Standing outside the temple, the sky now a dusty black with the stars coming out and the illumination of countless torches around them, Link pondered when next he'd enter the Chamber of Time.

* * *

_**Verdant Wind, 10:09 PM…**_

"Alright, people, time for three cheers for our guardian, cook, and best bartender!"

A hand fell over the Hylian's face as the three cheers went up, each one seemingly louder than the last. Link was pretty sure it went beyond three cheers. Link was all but certain that his coworkers weren't just cheering for him, they were just taking this time to celebrate. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with that, he'd done it plenty of times when he was supposed to be celebrating someone else's good fortune. Matter of fact, at the Verdant Wind, it was almost a tradition that one good event warranted them partying like it was New Years. This time was no different, albeit one could argue that the good event they were celebrating was well worth all the fanfare. As many had said, "Link finally did the smart thing".

It was an open secret that Link possessed skills that would no doubt be better served in the army instead of dealing with unruly bar-goers and cleaning and cooking. That fact had become evident after his second year of working under his uncle, and with the rest of them. His coworkers had come to realize that, and quite a few such as Sayla and Lukas. In particular, Link could tell they were the happiest of the whole lot.

And that was saying something considering that after the cheers, everyone went back to partying like there was no tomorrow. Link felt a rush of heat flooding into his cheeks as the party drew on. A small voice in the back of his head wanted to say something, that they were going overboard, but he just couldn't bring himself too. Every clap on the back and shoulder, every toast, all for him,

The blond Hylian chuckled as a drinking contest sprung up between his coworkers. He already had a gut feeling where this would go, but it'd be amusing to watch. He wouldn't be alone.

"So, thinking about joining in? I mean, this is your party after all." Lukas baited with a cocky grin.

Laughter was expelled from the former adventurer's lips. "Really? I couldn't tell! Seems a lot like everyone seems to be enjoying themselves for their own sake rather than celebrating me joining the army." No sooner had the words left his lips did the blonde's face fall, a shadow creeping over him. Blasting a light in the descending darkness was a light jab from his coworker and friend.

"Hey, don't get so down like that." Said the ginger-haired human with a smile. That was Lukas, one of the senior members of their working staff. He was certainly Link's senior by a good four years, practically an adult most would say. Lukas certainly acted befitting of his age, brash and cocky at times, but dispensing a bit of brotherly wisdom that even Link himself had sought out. Just as much, he was also a constant shoulder to lean on. "Now look, I won't give you some spill about how you're not the strongest fighter here, you are. Hell, you're a better fighter than half the fools that are already in the army. Speaking of which, knock some of them flat on their asses for me, will ya'?"

The descending dark cloud dispelled, Link let another laugh pass his lips. "Someone's still holding some grudges, aren't they?"

"Hey, I'm only human. So are you." Lukas countered giving him a laid-back smirk while placing his hand against the Hylian's chest. "Link, we'll get by without you. We've done so in your absence, and we'll be able to do so while you're off refining your skills, slaying monsters, and rescuing damsels in distress. Speaking of which, those you turn down…mind directing some of them here? You know, so they can have a place to drown out their sorrows from time to time?"

"Again with that damsel in distress stuff!" Cried the Hylian throwing a mock hand over his face.

Lukas' Cheshire grin was ear-to-ear. "Oh, shall I list the examples in chronological order? Or how about how each lady, and even a few guys, came onto you?"

Sighing in annoyance, Link relieved some of those times. It wasn't like he _tried _to make himself into a desirable potential suitor, especially since he still considered himself underage. Then there was the little matter that he already had someone occupying that special place in his mind. Someone whom he was going to be seeing a lot of, hopefully. Maybe. Sparing a glance down at his left hand, he theorized how long it would be until he and Zelda crossed paths again. He had one piece of the Triforce and she had another. Though his feelings on destiny and fate were mixed, they'd meet each other drawn by their pieces of the Triforce. "I'll see what I can." He finally said returning his gaze back to the present. "Granted, even if I do that what are the odds that any of them will actually take to you?"

"Ah! Link! All these years of friendship and that's what you have to say!" Cried the redhead!

"It's true though." Declared a sassy female voice. The two males looked over and found Octavia marching over to them.

"You didn't even know what the conversation was about." Lukas argued to which the portly woman crossed her arms and smiled at him.

"Something about you getting a girl, which we all know is as likely to happen as Carter ever accomplishing his dream of becoming a world-class horseman." Retorted the brunette.

"Hey! Octavia, I thought tonight was supposed to be for partying! Not beating up on the helpless!" Barked back a male voice from the still partying crowd.

Lukas looked between the two Hylians, "Here that? We should be celebrating! Link's going off to put his fighting skills to go use! That's what we should be talking about, not my love life!" To get his point across, he clapped a hand around the shoulders of both Hylians. "Come on! We closed early to party, so let's get back to partying! Especially you, Link!"

That was try. The Verdant Wind had closed early, something that quite a few had voiced their displeasure at. Cedar and the rest took it though because the early closure was for a _very _good reason. Some regulars had spotted the way his eyes glowed and how his young charge seemingly recoiled, trying to make himself seem as small and unnoticeable as possible. After that, Cedar broke the news to the rest of the staff. If there was one word that could be used to describe their response, it was, "Finally!". Link let out a shrill laugh seeing the relieved and even smug looks on his coworkers, especially Lukas, Sayla, and Octavia. As the last of the bar's patrons left, a crowd formed around him and his uncle, an intense hunger for details shining in their eyes. Link had tried to keep it simple, only for his uncle to interject with some of the more…tasty details. Including some outright false ones that had the blond Hylian groaning. He now had an even bigger pedestal to live up to.

All of that could wait for a little while though. Drinks were poured, food was prepared and devoured, games were played, and laughter rung through the Verdant Wind. What made this time unique was that it was the workers themselves, the waiters, maidens, and cooks, all celebrating the success of one of their own. In truth, Link had to work hard to keep his tears from slipping from his eyes.

_All of you, it really was that obvious I was better off with a sword in my hands. _Mused the Hylian. At times, he hadn't tried to hide it. He would linger around soldiers and mercenaries, at times picking apart their stories. Of all the staff of the humble bar, he was the best at telling when a war story was completely and utterly made up; he'd always gotten a few laughs and side snickers from doing so, which in turn made him feel more and more like he truly belonged at the establishment. It was his home, and the staff, especially his uncle, were his family.

Through the crowd, he spotted his uncle. Cedar winked at him, then motioned for Octavia, who hurried back behind the counter toward the kitchen with Luis, their chief cook. He had a gut feeling when they returned, they'd be carrying something…special. Until then, Link had something else to hold his interest.

"Alright, people! Stand back and let me show you all once again, how the pro does it!" Boasted the Hylian stepping forward and rolling his sleeves up. Directly in front of him held up on the wall was a dart board containing several incredibly small-sized bullseye circles. Grinning, Link took hold of the first of several darts and threw them at the board, hitting home. His pointed ears perked up hearing a snap of fingers. A mystic barrier appeared in front of the dart board, one that opened several small holes as it began to rotate. It was just the sort of challenge that Link lived for.

He was patient, watching the holes and waiting for them to line up, Link acted. The dart flew like lightning, passing through the opening and impacting the wooden board. There was a repeat of the act, then another. The fourth attempt was where a change took place, the hole he was aiming for closed immediately causing his dart to bounce off. Rather than annoyance, Link merely chuckled in amusement as he walked forward and picked up the dart.

Spinning on his heel, he turned to face the crowd, all of whom were snickering in amusement. His gaze focused on one person, one woman, in particular. A petite redhead who just barely came up his chest with blue eyes that cackled with amusement. "Very cute, Achima." The young bar maid giggled in delight while waving her hands, magically removing the dart from his hands. Link could have grabbed it back if he wanted to, but he was content to let his surrogate little sister have her fun.

"Hey, you're leaving us to join some fancy-pansy knights in the army!" She chirped up only to be little tapped on the head by her mother, Aoede, herself a redhead.

"Now, now, Achima. It's not like Link is leaving us forever. He'll be back, he'll _especially _know to come back during a certain time of the year, won't he?" Added the single mother looking to the Hylian with a pointed smile.

"Yep. Totally."

"Good, now then, show us your accuracy is still what it used to be." Chuckled the foreign woman tossing the dart back to Link while at the same time giving her daughter permission to keep her barrier spell up. It wasn't like she was going to take all of the fun out things.

Upon having the dart to back to him, Link returned his focus back on the dart board. Now, the barrier was rotating at even faster speeds. He had to give Achima some credit, he actually had to focus in order to find the opening that he needed. Then he let the dart fly.

_**Thunk! **_

"Oooooh!" Cried the audience of bar workers, much to Link's amusement. Bounding up to him was their youngest worker. Achima looked just a little bit annoyed that he'd still hit the mark in spite of her efforts. Then again, even with her magic, she found it hard to get one over on him. Several times she'd asked him how was it he became so…alert. All he did was laugh and say he'd tell her when she was older. At twelve-years-old, he guessed maybe another three or four years would work. Eventually, she joined in the laughter as he rustled her hair, then picked her up in a hug she happily returned.

"Ah! I see we're just in time!" Boomed Luis' voice causing the group to turn back to the kitchen where he, Octavia, and Cedar were returning. Of course, they were carrying a candle-lit strawberry cheesecake that had Link's mouth watering and his stomach rumbling in spite of already having consumed a decent amount of food. When it came to strawberry cake, Link could eat his fill and still have room for a slice or two. This time would surely be no different at he took his seat.

But that's also where his consciousness rose up. "Luis, everyone-"

The graying haired chef raised a hand, a stern hardness mixing with the gentle warmth of his blue eyes. "Hey, hey, don't even start on that. At some point, practically _everyone_ here knew you were going to be joining the army or some sort of mercenary band. You're a warrior Link, and a damn fine one. One that we all would feel safer protecting us, because that's what you are, a protector. And like any protector, you'll need some fuel."

As he inhaled a whiff of the scented cake, Link looked to his fellow cook, who was also the man who taught him a great deal about cooking in the first place. "So, does this mean that I can come back?" The joking tone wasn't missed on anyone resulting in laughter that rocked the entire tavern.

"Oh for Din's sake!" Octavia cried while Sayla giggled into her hands. "You're just heading down to live in the barracks in the castle! Not moving to another country!"

"There may be times I'm out of country though." Offered the Hylian.

"Did could you try to bring us some souvenirs from foreign lands?" It may have been subconscious, but the barmaid's gaze drifted over to Lukas. He caught her gaze and stiffened. Apparently, the conversation he and Link had earlier hadn't been as private either of them had thought. Her green eyes softened as she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course, you'll make sure that _you _always come back, right?"

He looked around at the faces of those around him, his surrogate family, a family that he'd gained over the last five years working for his uncle, who'd filled the parental void that had been left by Sari and Navi, both of whom were far out of his reach. On top of that, he'd gained the friends that now surrounded him, fellow bar tenders and cooks who'd opened up to him and bit by bit he'd opened up to them. Lukas, Sayla, Luis, Octavia, Aoede, Achima, and the rest…it was just enough to keep the Verdant Wind up and running, and enough to keep things prospering with everyone pulling their weight. Somehow, he knew even if he wasn't able to come in every day like he usually was, he'd still be a part of it all.

More than that, he'd do everything in his power to defend them and all they'd built.

"Hey, come on, guys." Said the Hylian with a carefree smile on his face. "It's me we're talking about! Of course I'll be coming back! Just imagine what my graduation will be like!"

"Knowing you, that might be a year or two from now." Cedar noted. "Hey, for that matter, we won't be opposed to you bringing some potential classmates down here for a drink or two."

"Just make sure they're some good lookers in the bunch." Lukas offered, and laughed as he was jabbed in the side by Octavia and Sayla. "On that note, make sure to make at least one friend while you're there."

"It's Link, he'll do that." Sayla said eying the Hylian with a knowing smile. "And I'm pretty sure we all know he'll bring back more than just a few friends."

A voice in Link's head told him that he already had enough friends, the people around him. Then another chimed in telling him that the more the merrier; besides, he knew deep down…he was a person that yearned for companionship. He had plenty of that, but he wanted more. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime…" His heart swelling with joy, he leaned in and blew out the candles on his cake. "Let's dig in, everyone!" It was thanks to his honed reflexes he was able to snatch away the largest and tastiest strawberry on the cake. Technically speaking it was his, but with his compatriots, well, you could never be too careful.

While the future was still coming up on him, he wanted to enjoy the here and now, and that's exactly what he did. Every last creamy, sweet-filled second of it.

* * *

_**Two Days Later, Hyrule Castle Training Field…**_

Link wasn't particularly sure of how his first day would go. He'd never gone to school before for a…number of reasons. What he did know came from word of mouth, but there was a difference between that and reality. Stories came in about what the training grounds and classrooms were like.

None of them mentioned wooden practice dummies running amuck and throwing soldiers about.

"Well, this is definitely an interesting way to start off my school days." Mused the blond Hylian as he stepped out and looked at the chaos before him. Professional soldiers and candidates alike were engaged in all sorts of combat with what was unmistakably wooden practice dummies, and some straw dummies. In a heartbeat, Link could tell that magic was animating them. It was also making them just a tad bit tougher than they normally would be. And perhaps a bit smarter given how some were parrying the blows of the humans and Hylians attempting to stop them.

One practice dummy spotted him out of the corner of its magical vision. Immediately, it came charging at him. Link merely looked at if as if it were a leaf floating on the wind in front of him.

Then his fist struck it in the chest with the force of a boulder rolling downhill. Its wooden body split apart, the magic animating it leaving as the pieces clattered to the ground. Looking on ahead, Link saw that some of the other soldiers were making progress. It didn't look like anyone was in any serious trouble, but the situation was rapidly growing out of hand with shouting and orders being barked.

Sighing, he dropped his bag of supplies onto the ground while stretching his arms and legs out. "Hell of a way to start things off!" He shouted then took off as if shot from a bow, a grin blossoming on his face. Link wasn't even trying to hold back the excitement that swelled within him. The moment at hand simply proved what several had said about him, he was indeed a man of action, and there was action unfolding in front of him. It called to him, like the howl of a wolf in the dead of night. Energy flowed through his body and his senses opened up as he threw himself into the fray with controlled recklessness.

Several times he felt wood splinter beneath his grasp, and several times did he narrowly move out of the way of blows that would have ranged from a tickle to actually hurting, if only by a small margin. Link felt a rush of excitement in the near misses, probably not a good thing, but he was a warrior so it was natural. He made sure the animated practice dummies only got one strike in at best, and those strikes had no hope of putting him down. His fists and legs flew on automatic impulse, smashing apart wood and straw with next to no issue. It felt good, no, it felt _great_.

Luckily for everyone, they the animated dummies had nothing but practice weapons, weapons that Link managed to smash with some well-timed kicks and punches.

"Hey! Heads up, on your seven o'clock!" Shouted a voice from behind him.

Ears perking, Link dropped into a crouch, just in time to avoid a swing that likely would have left him crumpled up on the ground with a fractured or even broken left arm. In a second, he examined the armored exterior of his latest foe, noting how this practice dummy must have been for armored enemy practice. Link cursed in realizing he'd have to put a bit more strength into his blows if he expected to bring it down. As he dodged blows from the wooden broadsword, another idea came to him; why use his fists when he could use the enemy's weapon against him?

That's exactly what he did as he stepped out of the way of the next attack. The power of the Light Force coursed through his leg as he brought it down on the dummy's hand, shattering it. Moving quickly, he picked up the wooden sword with both hands and went on the attack. He'd handled oversized swords before, several in fact including the Great Fairy Blade. Aiming at the neck, he sent the animated practice dummy's head sailing.

There was a whistle that caused him to look to where the head had ended up. Based on his basic but practical clothing, Link was willing to guess he was another trainee like him, and based on his height and appearance, he wasn't that far off in terms of age either. At best he might have been a year or two older than him. His sea-green eyes and dark brown hair heavily contrasted to Link's blue eyes and blond mane. He put a boot-covered foot over the severed dummy's head, practically crushing it.

"You're new." Spoke the newcomer in a dry tone.

Link hoisted the wooden sword onto his shoulder. "How'd you guess?"

There was a shrug, "I make it a point to get to know faces, haven't seen yours before so I'm going to guess that you're new. You picked a hell of a time to show up."

"Tell me about it. Is it usually this-!" Sensing something was coming, he dropped all pretenses of conversation. Quickly, he snapped his head to the right, where a group of knights were taking what looked to be a break from subduing the rampaging dummies. Many were grumbling and others were wondering how exactly something like this had ended up happening. "All of you, move, now!" Shouted the Hylian spotting the charging figure coming in behind them. Even as he spoke the words, he was already moving, the wooden practice sword held tightly in hand.

Against the oncoming stone golem, it wouldn't exactly be effective, but it was the best Link had. As he ran, Link used his mind's eye to examine the stony opponent he now faced. He could sense the magical energy was being concentrated at the back of the neck, which is where he had to guess the "control unit" was. Getting to it would involve a rather close encounter, but Link was used to such things.

The others scrambled out of the way giving Link room to operate. A fist was drawn back, then launched at the Hylian with the intent of crushing him like an int. Link's legs propelled him upward, then they came down atop the stony surface. He raced up arm, his mind never wavering as he drew closer. In the span of a second, he kicked off again, sailing over the golem's hand where he found himself on its backside. Now, it was him drawing his weapon back, sending forth his inner strength into it. One strike was all he would get, and one strike would be all it took to finish things. When his opportunity came, he took it.

_**THUNK! **_

Arcs of mystic blue energy flew from the golem's back as it began to stumble, its glowing yellow eyes flashing as the magical energy that animated it was violently disrupted. Its arms twitched and cracks spread through its stony body, but nowhere more so than the back of its neck where Link had struck at it with his wooden sword. Which was now in splinters that cascaded to the ground as Link's feet hit the ground. He stood back and watched as the eight-foot giant gave a final jerk of movement, then began to tumble forward, collapsing into a pile of rubble. With a roll of his shoulders, Link dropped the broken end of the practice sword onto the ground. Through the resulting dust cloud, he looked up to find the man from earlier standing across from him, clapping.

"You know your stuff, blondie." He said with a cocky grin.

Link returned it with one of his own. "What can I say, I'm used to stuff like this. Speaking of which, mind telling me how the hell this happened?"

"You'd have to ask the mages that question." Came his response gesturing to the remains of the golem. "Word was they whipped up some new practice dummies to test out, but as you can see, things have gone south so it looks like we're going to be spending the rest of the day cleaning up the mess around-" His grim expression told Link he had sensed it as well. It seemed like the male brunette wasn't going to be able to introduce himself.

There was a very good reason as the ground beneath their feet shook and an ear-splinting roar echoed through the training grounds drawing the attention of all. As one, the various knights and trainees looked ahead in one direction to find a new enemy was…quite literally building itself up. Golem was perhaps the term that could be used to define it much like the enemy that Link had just taken down. Unlike the previous ones, this creature was in no way meant to serve as a practice dummy, it was a tool of war.

A bronze-colored metallic exterior covered its body as it rose, standing at Link's guess a good eight to even twelve feet, making it tower over the mortals around it and putting I on par with the guard towers around them. Its feet shook the ground sending out small tremors as it took several steps forward and surveyed its surroundings. Its four arms wheeled about, again, as if giving them a test drive. From a single observation, Link knew a direct hit from any of them would be enough to leave a man dead with all his bones broken. Yellow eyes suddenly flashed red as the automaton reared its head back and roared, a sound that reverberated through the courtyard.

"Well, with that I'm pretty sure the real knights are probably on their way, and maybe we should get going." Noted the male brunette. His words were being fulfilled by practically everyone else in the courtyard, now making a run for it seeing as how the automaton was very clearly out of control. Robotic fits and legs stomped against the ground and smashed apart anything that came in striking distance; needless to say, no man wanted to be in that range.

Save for one.

"Go, I'll stop it. Make sure that everyone gets away safely." Link said in a steady voice as he began to approach the rampaging automaton.

"Huh? Hey, wait a second! Are you-"

Link was pretty sure on some level, he probably _was_ insane. He'd come to that conclusion close to the end of his adventures in Termina where he'd relived the same three days almost a hundred times, bending time to his whims in an effort to save the land from complete destruction at the hands of a crashing moon whose face still haunted him. There was much about Termina that still haunted him, yet also drove him just as much. He wanted to do everything in his power to help the people that called the land home, from the humans to the Deku to the Gorons to the Zora to putting the restless dead to rest. He held out his hand and magically summoned an age-old weapon of his own, the Gilded Sword. Several times he'd learned it truly paid to magically link a weapon to one's self to ensure they always had it on hand. The blade's golden shine glittered in the midday light as Link continued his charge, even as his giant enemy became aware of him.

Aggression flashed in the automaton's eyes as it caught sight of Link. All four of its arms were directed at him, then launched like cannonballs. Link's eyes briefly widened in shock, but he didn't let that surprise detour him; his instincts took over and guided him. The first projectile fist came within four feet of hitting him, the second he merely jumped over as it crashed into the ground. With the third one, Link skid across the ground, narrowly dodging the attack. His ears rung with the resulting explosion, but only for a few seconds at best. Again, he was used to this thus his body had thankfully found a way to adapt to the various life-threatening stunts he was prone to pulling off.

Arguably the greatest one came when the final fist came shooting at him. Both hands were on the hilt of his sword, an aura of energy flaring up around him and being funneled into his sword. Stomping his foot into the ground, Link roared as he spun about in a circle, his Gilded Sword blazing with mystical energy as he did so. He'd timed it perfectly as the empowered blade collided with the metallic fist, sending a shockwave ripping through the air. Link had braced himself accordingly, but even that didn't mean that he was free of the backlash. His arms screamed in pain, but as usual, he pushed through it knowing there was still one last hurdle left.

Focusing on the legs, he picked up where he left off at, his sword glowing as he poured as much of the Light Force into the weapon. It was a tried and true tactic, and the sword in his hands had undergone this procedure several times already. It could take the pressure, and indeed, pressure was what he forced onto the blade as he dug it into the metal exterior of his enemy's leg and dragged the blade along.

The sound of metal grinding was a familiar sound to his ears, so too was the inhuman screech of pain that flew from the automaton. Kicking off a crouch, he made way for the back of the other leg, stabbing the sword into the metallic surface then bringing it up. Link didn't stop there, grabbing onto the metallic surface, he began to climb like his life depended on it, scrambling up the leg then waist onto the back of the now stumbling machine. Coming up on the shoulder, Link jammed his sword into the neck, flooding the weapon with energy that caused the gold coloration of the blade to glow even brighter. He pulled back with his arms, metal screeching all the way while he did so.

Apparently though, that wasn't enough to keep the out of control machine down. Instincts flashing, Link had just enough time to look back and see one of the detached arms heading straight for him. Knowing what a direct hit would do, he pushed off, muttering a magical incantation aimed at the goddess of the forest and winds, his patron goddess. This too had happened several times, and thankfully he'd walked away mostly whole thanks to the cushioning of the wind.

It answered him, slowing his descendent enough that he didn't break anything on the way down. Sadly, in the moment that he'd caught himself, something else caught him.

"Shit!" Cursed the blond Hylian finding himself locked in a death grip of one of the fists. It was squeezing him so tightly he could barely move a muscle. If he didn't do something, he'd be crushed like a twig! And on his first day of being a squire no less!

_**SLISH! **_

He caught it just as it existed his vision, a shadow tinged with purple and a flash of silver. Immediately, the panic Link felt was replaced by a warm confidence. Moments later and he was falling to the ground; he stuck the land and came up in a crouch with his sword held tightly in his hand.

"Finish what you started." Came a feminine but commanding voice that sent a rush through him. Link had to fight the urge to give a sarcastic response. Such a thing wouldn't do at a time like this.

The shadows on the ground came alive and moved like a hoard of snakes, striking and lashing out at the formerly rampaging machine. It was brought low and bound by the shadowy restraints making it easy prey for Link. Eyes flashing, he took off, his target being the mechanical menace's head, where he hoped the "control unit" or whatever it was called was.

As he came at the machine, managed to lift its head up just enough to look at him with its sparking red eyes. Link held no hesitation in putting is existence to an end.

_**SLISH! **_

Orange sparks and blue trails of energy exploded from the severed half of the head, a second later and the whole thing exploded. At once, the machine's struggles came to an immediate end as its whole body lurched forward, the shadows sinking back into the ground as they were no longer needed. Like descending rain, silence fell over the ransacked courtyard.

With the adrenaline wearing off, Link felt himself grow a tad bit dizzy, the pain in his arms returning to him. He winched, his breathing hard as the strain of the short battle took its toll on him. Link felt himself laughing, _Damn, I must be out of shape. A creature like that…no way something like that could have-_ "Huh?" Feeling a gentle touch on his shoulder, his line of thought came to halt. Looking back, Link shut his jaw and stared in awe as Impa stood behind him, helping hoist him up.

"You find something funny in all of this?" She questioned showing she'd clearly heard him before.

The teenager recovered quickly. "Y-Yeah. It's supposed to be my first day and I come down to find a ruckus like this."

A ghost of a smile formed along the Sheik's lips. "Heh, I suppose that is something worth laughing about. This wasn't how I pictured your first day of class going, but you've certainly made an impact as you did with me." While he'd been busy dealing with the automaton, the other knights and soldiers had formed a perimeter around the battlefield to which they'd watched the action unfold. Impa had been among them, out of sight, but keeping a close eye on how events preceded. When Link was in danger, she acted to rescue him, then allow him to finish what he'd started. All of the credit lay with him, she'd made sure of that.

Bounding up to them was the brunette from earlier, a canteen of water in his hands. Unscrewing it, he held it up to the Hylian. Smiling Link used his less throbbing right arm to take it then drunk from it. It felt quite refreshing to have the pure water travel down his throat into his stomach. He took several long sips before stopping and looking to the human.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it, crazy guy." He laughed taking the canteen back then sticking out his hand. "At the risk of something else crazy happening, my name's Gideon. Gideon Marczak."

"Link Axely, nice to meet you." Spoke the blond returning the handshake. Looking around him, he saw that the chaos had begun to die down meaning there was now a search and examination of the injured and such. From what he could see, it seemed like nobody had died, not even from the rampaging giant automaton. Speaking of which, he looked back to it with weary eyes. Soldiers were standing around the thing genuinely unsure if it would come back to life or not. "So, anyone mind telling me what the hell happened?"

"That is what I'd like to know!" Boomed a very irritated voice that rung across the courtyard. Instantly, Link felt a stone drop in his stomach as he looked to the to his right where the direction of the voice had come from. First and foremost, the man looked like a mage, long robes emblazed with the crest of Hyrule, graying hair pulled back and a well-trimmed beard that stretched a few centimeters below his chin. A pair of somewhat wrinkled hands racked their way through his graying black hair as he looked to the remains of the automaton. A set of honey-colored eyes widened in shock while a mouth fell open in gaping horror. Link could practically count the seconds until the old mage turned to face him; his expression went from shocked to enraged in a heartbeat. "What did you do?!" He screamed.

Link pressed his lips. "Hm, let's see. Oh, stop this thing from going on a rampage." Of course, his answer enraged him. "But hey! It's just the head! The rest of the body is still intact! That counts for something, doesn't it? Odds are it's still salvageable!"

"Silence! I don't want to hear another word from you, you sword-wielding simpleton!" Screamed the older male pointing an accusatory finger at him. "In fact, I don't want to ever see you again! Do you have any idea how far back you just set our research?"

Keeping his tongue in check, Link rose to his feet and placed his hands together then bowed. "I'm sorry, but I did what I had to do. I had to stop it before it seriously hurt someone."

"You should have tried to restraint it until we could arrive and disable it." He growled throwing a glance back at the remains. No longer was it being surveyed by knights, but rather by mages. Seeing them, Link put all the pieces together on what had happened. It appeared his first day as a trainee really had come on quite a day. "But no, you reacted the way all simpleton knights do."

"Leno!" Barked Impa catching the attention of all in hearing rage. Several looked uncomfortable to the point they began to quietly move away. It seemed this wasn't the first time this showdown had happened. "The automaton had to be stopped before it injured or killed someone, and Link did just that. Now look, I apologize that the mage corpse lost a valuable substance of research, but it had to be done. Should you ask of it, I myself will head back to the ruins in an attempt to recover another automaton for you and your disciples to tinker with."

The now-identified sorcerer stood up a bit straighter at her proposal as if he were considering it. Link's mind raced with thoughts. _Ruins? What ruins? Did they dig this thing up from somewhere? Am I going to be doing some dungeon exploring sooner than expected? _

"Link…I'm assuming that this one's name?"

Impa crossed her arms. "Yes, Link Axely. He is my newest student."

"And from the looks of it, I can already see he's going to be one of the unruly ones. Simply…keep him as far away from our other treasures." Growled the mage before turning his back to the trio, his cloak bellowing as he stomped over to the wrecked machine.

As he did so, Impa let out a sigh of mental exhaustion. Link let out one himself.

"Sounds like someone's made quite an impression." Gideon chuckled having watched the showdown in silence alongside Link.

"Ain't that the truth." Link laughed allowing his back to hit the grass. He wasn't totally drained of energy, but he did feel like he needed a breather. This day hadn't exactly gone the way he'd expected, but then again, life rarely did. Sometimes that wasn't always good, and it wasn't always bad. Staring up at the cloud-dotted blue sky, he resolved to make the most out of his future. That promise was reinforced as he let his eyes wonder to his right where he was able to catch sight of Impa's backside, in particularly, her shapely ass.

The ability to grasp such a sight made the hectic events of the last ten minutes doubly worth it.

* * *

**It definitely took a while longer to get this chapter out, and oh how things have changed in between now and New Years. I don't think it needs to be said that there's been some good and bad (and very bad), but on a personal note, I'd like to encourage all you readers to keep your heads up. Towards the beginning of the week, as the Coronavirus epidemic truly started to set in, I came across an interesting post made by a Zelda fan who was encouraging others not to panic, calling to mind the themes of Majora's Mask. I found it rather helpful. As the saying goes, this too shall pass. There's no night without an end, at some point the sun will rise again, you just have to keep on going until you can reach that dawn. When the sun comes up you'll see the damages, but you'll be there to pick up the pieces and start over. It's not easy, but its doable. **

**Now, regarding the story. As you can probably guess, some personal feelings went into this one, but I dropped a few story hints pertaining to future develops, like Link still possessing the three gems needed to access the Chamber of Time and get the Master Sword. Will the gems be exposed? If so surely they'll be some questions as to how he got them…and why he's able to pick up the strongest and most sacred blade in the land. Just something to sit o as this story progresses. The automaton that Link battled, I'll admit, was partially based off of Koloktos. The franchise is no stranger to dropping surprisingly advanced ancient robots that are remnants of a lost civilization into a medieval setting, it's one story aspect I particularly like and plan on putting some focus on in the future. **

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter and see you all next time, when Link starts meeting some of his fellow trainees and gets a feel of what the life of a squire is like! **


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